Fidelius
by Rumer Hasit
Summary: Harry Potter had vanished. No note. No speech. Nothing. For two years, Lord Voldemort has been ruling the wizarding world unopposed, and then it happens. Potter is found. But the Dark Lord doesn't want to simply kill him. Where would the fun in that be?
1. A Diverting Discovery

****Hello, everyone. This is my second fanfiction. My main one I've been working on is a Naruto fanfiction. I never thought about writing a slash/Yaoi story before, but then a friend talked about how she only felt comfortable writing slash romantic scenes. I thought I'd give it a chance and attempt to write one. After all, love is love no matter who it is between, right? It shouldn't matter what age, race, or sex you are. That being said, when I read the Harry Potter books, I always thought Voldemort (I said it!) was way too obsessed with Harry, even considering everything that was going on. So, please enjoy this story. On with the demented writing!

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><p><strong>!*!*! ATTENTION... AANDAG... KUJDES !*!*!<strong>

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of Harry Potter. If I did, I would be amazingly rich with hordes of rabid fans. But, since I don't, please enjoy this fanficiton which completely ignores a quite a bit of J.K Rowling's work.

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><p>A man sat, or rather lounged, in a high backed black leather chair that strongly resembled a throne. His creamy white skin, almost corporeally pale, stood in vivid contrast to his coal black robes and dark surroundings.<p>

Two years ago, his face had had waxy, flattened features, a snake-like visage. It had been transformed by dark magic to the point where it was terrifying and inhuman. But, his public relations manager had informed him that his appearance scared the polyjuice potion out of people, and so he had regained some of his old features.

A thick mane of dark brown hair fell in waves over a wide, intelligent forehead, high cheek bones, an aquiline nose, and perfectly sculpted lips. Only his eyes remained the same, scarlet depths glinting darkly. He features were still slightly blurred and snake-like, but he had regained his old Riddle handsomeness. Despite his age, and thanks to modern magic, he appeared to be in his mid twenties.

So, there he was, one of the most powerful wizards ever, with thousands of witches and wizards his to command, and he was completely and utterly bored.

He waved his wand lazily, idly carving random runes into the walls.

A rhythmic knock came at the door, and then the person came in without waiting for entrance.

The Dark Lord stared at the woman in front of him, vaguely wondering how he could keep from killing her, let alone stand her. Yet stand her he did, and he had even developed what might have been called a certain fondness for her.

Luna Lovegood stood before him, wearing robes of a orange so bright it should never have been invented and should be burned immediately, and sporting butterbeer cap earrings. Around her neck she wore a large electric blue amulet, which, according to her, kept the Frunglelimpits from affecting her.

As far as he could make out, Frunglelimpits were large, brown furry flies that made you crotchety and could only be seen on the full moon when you blew powdered Mandrake leaves on them.

How did he wind up hiring her again? However it had come about, it was fortunate. Luna Lovegood managed to get everything done without actually appearing to do anything at all but stand around smiling vaguely and making odd comments.

The Dark Lord waited as Luna looked around the room with slightly protuberant blue eyes. After several minutes of silence in which he waited for her to say something, and she stood there humming and smiling, he asked in a cold and imperial tone, "Ms. Lovegood, is there a reason why you came into my office?"

She diverted her attention from one of the runes he had carved to him. "You have a lot of Frunglelimpits effecting you today, Tom. Watch out. You don't want them to turn into Schnorkes, do you?"

This was her way of saying he was grumpy. And, no matter how many times he threatened to kill her, she insisted on calling him Tom, going on and on about the magic of birth names. How did she know his name in the first place?

He raised on perfectly arched eyebrow and said, "Now."

"Mmhmm. I could give you an amulet for the Frunglelimpits, if you like. Oh, and we have someone claiming they know where Harry Potter is."

Now that was interesting, in a sense.

In the beginning, when he had announced that anyone who could tell him the whereabouts of Harry Potter would receive two thousand galleons, the ministry had been swamped with people claiming he was hiding under their sofas and the like. But, since Lord Voldemort and quite a few members of his new staff were legilimens, the fakers, which had been all of them incidentally, were found out and punished with a well uttered crucio and a fine, the amount depending on how rich they were. After that, very few had come in claiming to know the Chosen One's whereabouts.

"And?" The Dark Lord prompted when Luna lapsed into silence once more.

"And I believe her. As far as they could tell, the legilimens said she was telling the truth. I thought you'd like to see her. Shall I bring her in?"

"Yes."

This, he thought with something resembling glee, if glee had an evil undertone, is exactly what he needed.

Luna opened the door to let herself out, but paused. "You're looking a little pale, Tom. I'll make you a cup of Pipgrook tea."

He twitched at the use of his name.

He didn't want to know what Pipgrook tea. From experience he'd learned that all food Luna offered him with odd names tasted like particularly nasty socks that were liquefied and mixed with jellied haddock.

The door creaked open and a single, quivering figure stepped inside. It was a woman, wearing burgundy robes that were clean but had seen better days. With clearly hesitant steps, she forced herself to walk until she stood a few feet away from him, separated only by a large claw-footed desk.

Now that she was close enough, he could see her face. It was a smiling face, but the beginnings of worry lines creased her forehead, and her soft brown hair, streaked prematurely with threads of silver, was pulled back in a loose bun.

"What is your name?" he inquired gently, trying to put her at ease.

She looked like a good woman who had fallen on hard times. "Amelia Myrtlerford." She paused and then added, almost proudly, "Half-blood."

"Well, Amelia, why don't you have a seat and tell me about Harry Potter?" Sometimes being charming got much better results than being frightening and torturing people, even if it was less fun.

With a flick of his wand, a squishy emerald armchair appeared, and she perched on the edge of it. She licked her lips, gathering courage, and Voldemort resisted the impulse to simply forcibly take what he wanted from her memories.

"I have a friend, a muggle friend, who makes jewelry. She gives her pieces to me, and I spell them never to tarnish or to shine brightly. She just thinks I use a special type of polish." She sighed heavily. "She pays me, and I need the money."

Amelia stopped, as if waiting for him to interrupt or curse her for her confession, but he merely motioned for her to go on.

"One day, we were talking, just chatting, and she mentioned a friend named Harry. I didn't think anything of it. After all, it's a common name. She was talking nonsense about how his eyes had inspired her to make a new line of jewelry with only green stones, and she wanted me to come and meet him. A new line of jewelry meant more work, more money for me , so I went with her. When we got there, just sitting there was someone who I'd seen in the daily prophet so often. I'd never been more surprised when the Harry she'd been talking about was Harry Potter! In London all this time…"

The dark lord's thoughts were whirling.

Two years. In two years, so much had changed. Dumbledore was dead, killed by the progression of the curse on his hand before he, Lord Voldemort, even got a chance to kill the man and savor the moment. The ministry had crumbled, and he'd taken control easily. Since Dumbledore was gone, Hogwarts quickly followed.

Originally, the plan had been to throw out all of the muggle-borns and enslave them, but then he'd seen the grades of muggle-borns were far higher than those of purebloods. It hadn't fit. Muggle-born's were supposed to be inferior, but there was proof suggesting otherwise. He tried to argue that grades didn't matter, but most of the new potions, spells, and inventions were coming from half-bloods and muggle-borns as well.

Then, he'd understood.

They muggle-borns were entering a new world that they had never known existed, and they had something to prove. Purebloods were more staid, choosing the old ways, and they were content with them. So, while he was brilliant and evil, he wasn't crazy, or at least not completely crazy. Taking the muggle-borns away wouldn't help a thing. To everyone's surprise, Hogwarts had been allowed to remain virtually the same.

Under his control, things had actually improved for the wizarding world. Employment was up, and crime was down. The latter mainly because the criminals were too afraid to be criminals. Selling phony amulets could get a witch or wizard a week-long trip to Azkaban and a hefty fine. Selling harmful magical items to muggles could get a stay of a month or more in the dementor ridden prison, as well as having your life savings confiscated by the ministry. After one visit, no one was eager to go back to the wizarding prison.

Voldemort's new government struck hard, fast, and out of the blue at people doing illegal activities, so that the criminals never felt safe and were always afraid. It was a deterrent from others entering a life of crime as well.

Yes, things had been going well, but one thing had always nagged at his mind. Harry Potter. The Chosen One. The Boy-Who-Lived.

He had just vanished two years ago without a trace. No speech, no note, just there one moment and gone the next. He had disappeared before Dumbledore had died, before the ministry had fallen. Some people expected him to show up and for them to duel epically, but he never resurfaced, and now most believed he was dead.

Voldemort knew better. He still felt flashes of the boy's emotions, although they were becoming increasingly infrequent. But, no, Harry Potter was very much alive, and living right under his nose.

Realizing that he had been absorbed in his thoughts, he brought his attention back to the woman in front of him. She was pale and shaking. She was probably waiting for him to punish her for using spells on muggle items, he mused. But, he was in a good mood. He could just ignore that little detail.

"Where does Mr. Potter work? Where did you see him?"

Her answer surprised him. "You aren't going to hurt him, are you?"

How sweet. After everything, she still wanted to make sure that she wasn't indirectly hurting him.

"What is the address?" he asked again.

"Promise you won't hurt him," she almost whispered.

"I'm not going to promise any such thing," Voldemort said, amused. His eyes glittered darkly. "But you're going to tell me anyway. We both know you are. You're going to sell him out for the reward money. You wouldn't have come here otherwise."

Her shoulders slumped forward and she bowed her head, the picture of a broken woman. "134 Cross St," she choked out.

He slid a large bag across the desk; a golden galleon glinted from its depths.

He favored her with an almost grandfatherly smile, that is if said grandfather was a human heart eating psychopathic mass murderer, and said, a plan already forming in his brilliant, if twisted, mind. "Now, Amelia, this is what I want you to do…"


	2. The Magically Masked Meeting

**!*!*! ATTENTION... ՈՒՇԱԴՐՈՒԹՅՈՒՆ ... DİKKAT !*!*!**

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter does not belong to me in any shape, way, or form. The proof is the fact I'm writing a fan-fiction about it.

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><p><strong>Note: <strong>At the end of this chapter, all parseltongue is in italics.

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><p>Voldemort looked at himself in the mirror critically. If his plan was going to work, he needed not to look like himself.<p>

He raised his wand and pointed it at himself, running the tip over parts of his body. His almost paper-white skin darkened to a healthy tan, his hair shortened to a crop, and his features became more chiseled. Finally, he passed his wand over his eyes, turning the rich scarlet to a mundane brown.

He stared at his reflection. It didn't resemble him in the slightest, but he frowned, not quite happy with it. Then, his lips twitched upwards in the ghost of a smile, and he passed the wand over his eyes once more. When he opened his eyes again, they were a bright, stunning green. A color very similar to a certain Boy-Who-Lived eyes. Perfect.

Another few seconds later and his black wizarding robes had been replaced with dark denim jeans and a button up navy shirt. He even had a pair of trainers on. Unlike most of his followers, he actually knew quite a bit about the muggle world. After all, the first rule was to know your enemy, and, while he accepted that muggle-borns didn't deserve to be skinned and hung from the ceiling, muggles were another story entirely.

"You look very nice, Tom," a dreamy voice spoke up from behind him.

He turned around to find Luna Lovegood staring at him and wearing magenta robes that seemed to be intent on blinding him. "Thank you, Ms. Lovegood. Do I look like a muggle?"

She did an odd head bobble that seemed to be both a yes and a no at the same time. "On the outside, you do, Tom. But your energy is all wrong for a muggle. I have an amulet that could help regulate-"

By now, he was sincerely sorry he had asked. He cut her off his an imperious wave of his hand. "Never mind. I'm going to be gone for several hours. You know how to reach me if any of the idiots here muck something up or anyone starts a revolt." He almost wished someone would revolt. It might alleviate some of his boredom.

She nodded. "Yes. I know what to do. Tom, may I ask you a question?"

"Yes, but if it annoys me, I will crucio you."

Unafraid, she asked anyways. "What exactly do you plan to do with Harry Potter?"

He paused, head tilted to the side in thought. "I might kill him, but… I'm not sure. Whatever happens, I'm sure it will be interesting," he answered finally, the gleam in his eye reminiscent of a particularly naughty child who had found a B.B gun and lived in a glass building.

Then, before she could ask anything else, he turned on his heel and disapparated.

There was blackness and the familiar unpleasant feeling as if being simultaneously being pressed from all side in a steel vise and being forced through a tube. And then it was gone, and he was standing in a small alleyway. Old red brick buildings lined either side, and a cat hissed and sped away at his sudden appearance.

He straightened his shirt and walked out of the alley, joining the throng of people traversing the sidewalk.

The building he wanted was one of the ones forming the alley. It was a small red brick building that looked like it belonged in a different century. A sign over the door proclaimed in peeling script, "Reid's Fine Books."

He blinked, and checked the address. It read 134 Cross St, and the wide windows were filled with books on display. How very odd. Harry Potter was working in a bookstore. He wasn't aware that the boy had any interest in literature at all. Hadn't that been the specialty of his muggle-born friend with the bushy hair? None the less, this was were Amelia Myrtlerford had told him to go, and he knew she wouldn't dare lie.

Without another thought, he pushed open the door and entered the shop. Despite the huge windows, it was dark inside the shop, with row upon row of books. They lined the walls, filled the shelves, covered tables, and there were even some stacked on the floor in precarious looking piles. The air was slightly musty and old. It was the smell of libraries and old bookstores everywhere.

Voldemort looked around, and then froze, eyes fixed on something, or rather someone.

There he was.

Less than two meters away, sitting behind a desk, was Harry Potter. There was no mistaking him. He still had the same unruly and wild black hair, even though it had grown out a little, curling around his ears and completely covering his scar. His skin was lightly tanned, a soft gold color, and his face was, not delicate, but more defined somehow. All of the baby fat of his youth had melted away. His familiar round glasses perched on the edge of his nose.

Voldemort's gaze traveled away from his face, and down to his collar. A satisfied smile formed on his lips. Hanging from the boy's neck, on a silver chain, was a small green pendant, just a faceted rectangle of jade, or so it appeared. In reality, it had a spell on it. It blocked magic, or to be more precise, his magic in particular. After all, he couldn't have the boy's scar burning and letting him know that Lord Voldemort was there, now could he? And it had been so simple to have Amelia Myrtlerford to bring him to the jeweler friend of Harry's that she worked for. After that, he took a piece of the woman's jewelry, cast a spell it, which actually involved a spell and a rather unpleasant potion involving his blood, and then used the imperius on the woman to make her beg Harry to wear the necklace on the pretense that he was the inspiration for the line and how happy it would make her for him to wear it.

Voldemort had counted on the boy's… gryffindorness. Even if he hadn't liked the necklace, he still would have worn it to make the woman happy. He shuddered slightly. Harry Potter was just so… nice. It was almost alarming and slightly sickening.

Straightening his shirt once more, Voldemort hoped that the pendant would work. It should cut off their connections, but, as he'd learned form experience, curses were funny, tricky things. He moved closer and closer until he stood right in front of Harry, and then allowed himself a small, smug twitch of the lips.

Harry was completely engrossed in a book, and was most definitely not clutching his scar in pain. That part was almost disappointing.

After a few moments in which he was ignored, Voldemort cleared his throat loudly.

Harry jumped in his chair, knocking several books to the floor. He flushed red and hurriedly bent down to pick up the books, laying them carefully on the desk. "Sorry about that. I was just engrossed in the… Never mind. Um… How can I help you?" he asked, looking apologetic. There wasn't one flash of recognition as he looked at Voldemort.

Voldemort waved his apology away. "No need to apologize," he said, pitching his voice lower than usual. "It's easy to get spell-bound by a good book."

Harry nodded. "Now, what can I help you with?"

Time to have a bit of fun.

"I was looking for a book… on magic."

Harry's eyes widened slightly, and he stiffened. "Magic?" he repeated, voice trying, and completely failing, to sound casual.

Voldemort nodded. "Yeah, magic. A friend of mine has a little sister who's interested in witches, wizards, and that sort of thing. Her birthday is coming up, and I thought I'd buy her a book," he said, lies rolling off his tongue fluidly.

It was almost funny the way that Harry relaxed during his explanation. "Oh, right. Magic! Of course. Um… I think we actually have some books like what you're looking for," Harry said, running his hand through his hair unconsciously. "Would you like me to show you where they are?"

"I'd appreciate that."

Harry slid out from behind the desk and motioned for Voldemort to follow him.

The disguised dark lord took the opportunity to study the boy some more. First of all, he was short, probably around five-six, and he was not skinny, but thin and lithe.

Harry stopped abruptly and pointed to the shelf in front of him. "Try some of these."

Voldemort flipped through the books, repressing a sneer at the images of wizards that looked disturbingly like Dumbledore. Finally, he just grabbed one at random. He was just going to throw it away, or at someone, later anyway. "I'll take this."

Harry took the book and started walking back to the desk. "Oh, good choice. The Enchanted Forest chronicles are pretty good. I'm sure she'll enjoy it," he said, bagging it. "Now, that will be two pounds."

Voldemort handed him a five pound note. "Keep the change."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but he cut him off. "Keep it and think of it as payment."

"Payment for what?"

"For you telling me your name."

Harry stared at him, and then flushed, red creeping into his cheeks.

The Dark Lord held in a laugh, or cackle to be more accurate. He'd make Harry Potter blush. How incredibly odd, yet amusing.

Harry was slowly shaking his head as if he couldn't quite believe what was happening, but he stuck out his hand. "Harry. My name is Harry Evans."

Ah, using his mother's name.

Voldemort took the offered hand, studiously ignoring the tingle than went through his arm as their skin touched. Apparently, the spell on the pendant couldn't block all signs of their bond. "Well, Harry, my name is Thomas Deldir. It was a pleasure to meet you."

He let go of his hand, and Harry said, "It was nice to meet you, Thomas. Come back for a book anytime."

"I just might do that." Voldemort flashed one last smile, grabbed his bag, and then walked out of the shop. He walked several blocks before dodging into an alley, and disapparating.

A second later, give or take a few milliseconds, he apparated, arriving in his private rooms. He threw the bag containing the book carelessly on a chair, and flopped down onto a bed, running his hand absentmindedly over the scarlet silk sheets.

That had been… interesting, but several things just weren't making sense. Harry Potter was alive and living under an alias as a muggle. Harry potter was a Gryffindor through and through, completely devoted to the light, or that's what he had thought, but those two facts just didn't go together. Why did he vanish? Why did he leave the light to fend for themselves and run away?

A slithering alerted him to another being in the room, and he reached out to caress the cold, almost jewel-like, scales of Nagini.

"_Where have you been?_" she asked, sounding remarkably motherly, gliding over him and resting her head on his chest.

"_I went to see Harry potter_," he hissed back, parseltongue forming on his lips easily.

She cocked her head to the side, looking inquisitive, and he told her everything that had occurred. When he was done, she was silent, black tongue flicking in and out thoughtfully.

"_What do you think?_" he asked, running fingers delicately over her.

"_I think the boy has more in him than you think._" That wasn't exactly what he expected her to say. She continued, "_Go see him again. Learn more. This will be good for you._"

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "_Good for me?_"

"_No more boredom. Your followers will be happier._"

He smirked. It was true. When he was bored, minions had a tendency to get maimed… a lot. "_I think you're right, Nagini. I'll go visit him again soon._"

"_Of course I am right_."

He pushed her off of him gently and strode over to the mirror, staring at his reflection intently, memorizing how he looked for when he donned the disguise again. The eyes… His eyes were dull in color compared to the vivid, brilliant, almost avada kedavra, green of Harry Potter's. He waved his wand over his appearance, and the changes melted away, leaving him handsome, pale, and crimson-eyed again.

Nagini crawled up and draped herself around his shoulders. He petted her head and grinned slowly, an almost predatory grin.

Right now, Harry Potter was a puzzle, and he loved puzzles, either solving them or breaking them. Yes, he was going to visit Harry Potter again, and things were going to get very interesting.

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><p>Well, I got rather positive reviews on my first chapter of this story. And now you've read the first encounter between Voldemort and Harry. I hope you all enjoyed it. Poor Harry, he doesn't know what's going on at all. I have a feeling that Voldemort is going to turn his new life completely upside-down. This was just a quick meeting between the two, but next chapter I'm going to introduce some of our favorite characters. Can anyone guess who? So, I guess I can say... next chapter, things are going to get interesting. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I never expected that many on my first chapter.<p>

Ja ne,

Rumer Hasit

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><p><strong>itachisgurl93:<strong> Well, thank you for reviewing. You're my first reviewer on this story! Thank you very much, and I hope this update was quick enough for you. So, what did you think of this chapter?

**Calluna Rose:** I'm glad you think this was a good beginning. Beginnings are really important, no? They're what draws the person reading into the story. I actually wrote it a few months ago, but never got around to posting it.

**PhoenixPhlame:** Ah, a promising story? And you like it? Thank you. Thank you very much. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. In the next chapter, I think some other of our favorite characters will make their appearance.

**SnowflakeChemistry:** Ah, thank you for your review! I'm glad that you like what I did to Voldemort. I wanted to humanize him, like you said, but not make him into some goody-two shoes. No, he still likes to torture people and execute dastardly plots. Don't worry, he's not going to be too harsh on Harry. He's going to make him into his new plaything... Okay, you might want to worry.

**Brandy Bandshoe:** Yep. I just think Luna's a great character, and I thought it would be interesting to see how she and Voldemort interacted. You may be right about the Voldemort not muggle-borns, but I wanted to put in that piece about Muggle-borns and halfbloods being better, so it fit, and it explained his sudden change of heart. Sort of. Anyway, thanks for reviewing.

**Gemini Peverell:** Ah, thank you. I'm glad to hear, or read, that you think that. Oh, and I like your username. It's got a nice ring to it, plus it ties in with Harry Potter. Just thought I'd mention that.

**spoonring**: Umm... Okay. Well, if you did check back for this chapter, then let me know what you think, okay?

**Reader-anonymous:** Hmm... You really think about the story that you're reading and try to understand it, don't you? Sadly, I'm not going to tell you why Harry ran away yet, because it would spoil part of my story, but I am going to tell you that you are partially right in what you wrote. And you gave me a bit of an idea to make it more realistic, too. So, thank you, both for reviewing and giving me the idea. Oh, and cool name, by the way.

**Fireotaku18:** Ah! I got you curious with the first chapter, didn't I? Well, hopefully you liked this chapter enough to stick around for the next one.


	3. A Maddening Muggle

**!*!*! ATTENTION... ופמערקזאַמקייַט ... SLYW !*!*!**

**Disclaimer:** Does one of the Weasley twins get killed? Yes, and that's how you know I didn't write it. I would never harm those wonderful pranksters, which is why in this fanfic I can bring them back! Muhahahaha...

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><p>Lord Voldemort arrived at the bookstore again the next day, disguised as his new persona, Thomas, and dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a charcoal grey sweater.<p>

He pushed open the door to the bookstore, a small smile on his lips. The smile vanished completely when he saw who was sitting behind the desk. His smile morphed into a faint scowl.

It wasn't Harry Potter.

Instead, it was a woman. He stared at her. She was pretty, he supposed, in a muggle way, with wavy brown hair that went past her shoulders and fair skin. She looked up at him, setting down some books, and gave him a polite, warm, professional smile.

"Hello. May I help you?"

He nodded, forcing a charming smile to his lips. "Yes, you can. I was looking for Harry? Harry Evans?"

The polite expression vanished off of her face faster than he could cast a crucio. "You must be Thomas," she said, arms crossed over her chest.

Voldemort blinked. She was giving off waves of hostility. What on earth had Harry told her about him? He nodded slowly. "Yes, that would be me."

She seemed to argue with herself internally for a moment, and then said through gritted teeth, "Harry told me, if I saw you, to tell you that he only works here until three. After that he works at Balance, down the street."

Voldemort withheld a smirk. Well, apparently Harry wasn't averse to seeing him again. Thomas, that was. How would the boy react if he knew who it really was? Still, none of that explained why the woman in front of him was glaring at him as though she'd dearly love to throw him off of a cliff, especially in there were pointy rocks waiting below.

He nodded at her courteously. "Thank you."

Then, they stared at each other for a while, neither blinking. Finally, she looked aside. Really, no one could out stare him. It was very useful for intimidating people.

"I want you to stay away from him," she said bluntly.

He waited for her to continue, but she didn't. "And why would that be?"

She looked back at him and narrowed her hazel eyes. "Just stay away from him. He's good and kind and…"

"And you like him?" Voldemort interposed.

She flushed but nodded. "Yes, I do. When he mentioned you, I got a bad feeling. I don't know how to explain it, but I did. I have a sort of second sense about these things. Now, I want you to listen to me. I'll admit it; I like Harry. I like him a lot. And I think you're bad for him. Whatever you want to do to him or use him for, don't even think about it, because I will drop kick your ass out of his store. Got it?" She was glowering at him now.

Voldemort looked at her thoughtfully. He sincerely wished that he could kill her, first of all. No one talked like that to him, but, unfortunately, that would be rather out of character. Oh, well. He could always have her tortured later. Secondly, it was interesting. Perhaps she had some sort of second sight? It might be possible, because what she had said was awfully close to the truth.

He stepped closer to her, delighting in the slight flinch she gave. "Unfortunately, I can't agree to do what you say." He paused dramatically, and then continued. "You see, I find Harry so very interesting, and I'd like to get to know him better."

Her face turned pink, from embarrassment or anger he couldn't tell. "So, you like him, too?"

He didn't say anything for a moment, trying to figure out what she was talking about. Then, suddenly, he understood what she was asking. Did he fancy Harry Potter? He managed not to burst out laughing… barely. What a ridiculous notion. He'd had had lovers over the years who had shared his bed, but they had been few and fleeting.

Yes, Harry Potter had grown up into, dare he say it, an extremely handsome young man, but he'd spent the majority of the last two decades trying to kill the boy. That wasn't exactly conducive to a healthy relationship. It was more of a hate-kill than a love-hate thing. But, if this muggle wanted to think that, why not? It seemed to annoy her.

He gave a broad, almost roguish grin, and said, "Maybe I do."

Her face turned an alarming and rather unflattering shade of pink. "You!" The word was practically growled.

"Me?" he asked innocently.

"I'm warning you for the last time. Stay away from Harry!"

He checked his watch with studied deliberateness. "Well, as interesting as this has been, I have better things to do with my time than get threatened by a love-struck female who seems to be all talk and no substance."

Like torture some people and run an entire world.

"So, I think I'll take my leave. But don't worry, I'll be back later… to visit Harry."

He could almost see steam coming out of her ears.

"I warned you," she started, but he cut her off. "Yes, well, I've never much been one to listen to warnings." Before she could say anything else, he gave her a short, mocking bow. "I really must go. Next time I'm here, I'll be sure to tell Harry how delightful you've been." And with that, he left the shop, leaving the girl standing there, cursing under her breath and calling him some highly unflattering things that would have made a sailor blush scarlet and cover his ears.

He turned the corner into the alley and quickly and quietly disapparated back to his office at the ministry. Not even bothering to take off his disguise, he flopped down into his chair and closed his eyes meditatively.

Annoying muggle girl. Apparently she was completely infatuated with Harry, as well as thinking Harry shouldn't be around him. Well, she was right on that account at least. But Harry… He had left such an impression on the boy that he had given the muggle a message to tell him if he came in again. How delightful. Yes… it wouldn't be much time at all before he became even closer to the boy.

No, he corrected himself. Man. Harry Potter was most definitely a man now, and a very intriguing one at that.

He'd formulated several theories about why he'd vanished from the wizarding world, but he couldn't know if any of them were right. There were some other things that bothered him as well. Little things. Like working in a book store. The several times that they'd met, a bookworm and well read could possibly have been the last things that could describe Harry. But perhaps he didn't know him well enough?

Maybe a second opinion was in order…

Before he could scheme any further, a knock sounded at the door and Luna's blonde head poked in. "Tom?"

He gave her an icy glare at the use of her name, and she ignored it, something which seemed to be their routine.

"What?" he demanded.

"Your four o'clock appointment with the Australian wizards about the control, funding, and sale of dragons is here."

He didn't groan, but it was a close thing. "Please tell me that that's my only appointment for the day?"

"No, you also have to discuss trade-tariffs with the magical communities overseas, and Aregimina Flask is here again, this time with supporters, demanding that muggle hunting become legal again."

"I told that blasted woman no!" Voldemort snarled.

"I know that, but she's come up with the idea of only hunting… hobos."

The Dark Lord's eyes widened. How dense was the woman? He would have thought that after last time, which involved several cutting curses and crucios, she would have understood that no meant no.

"Leave her appointment for last. I may need some one to… unleash my frustrations on."

Luna nodded, only looking faintly disapproving, and her head popped out of view again.

Voldemort sighed, waving his wand over himself and watching as Thomas Deldir melted away once again. He rather liked his new persona. It was almost… relaxing.

He shook his head and turned his mind to the issues at hand. Right, time to run his empire… and curse a few people.

* * *

><p>Hello! Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, but I've been out of town... kidnapped by my own parents... to a place without internet. The horror, right? But, I'm back now and can continue the story. Sorry if not much happens in this chapter, but I wanted to have a muggle, who Voldemort couldn't hurt, to be sort of a thorn in his side, and this chapter was needed to set some things up for future chapters. So, hope you all like it.<p>

Ja ne,

_Rumer Hasit_

* * *

><p><strong>Gemini Perverell:<strong> Well, thank you very much. When I was thinking of writing up a Harry Potter story, I kept thinking how fun it would be to do it from Voldemort's point of view. And I'm glad that you think I make it real. I do try.

**ChocolateSnowflake:** Yes, poor, poor Harry. I think I'll enjoy making life hilariously difficult for him in this story. I mean, making him Vodlemort's new puzzle? There's a dangers thing to be. And I'm glad you like Luna. I must say, she's one of my favorite characters. And, yes. I've made him a closet bookworm. I mean, I love books, and all those years hanging out with Hermione must have rubbed off on him at least a little, right?

**itachisgurl93:**Yep. Voldemort just seems like the sort of person who would enjoy puzzles, particularly if they had to do with people. Glad you liked the chapter, and I hope that you liked this chapter as well.

**bookwornqueen7:** It's good? Well, I'm glad you think that the story is good. I do apologize that I didn't update sooner. I would have if I could have, but I couldn't... sadly. But, I do hope you enjoy this short chapter.

**noelnoel2:** Ummm... Wow. Longer chapters and updates every hour? I seem to have disappointed you. Er- sorry about that. But, I am glad that you've enjoyed reading it so far. And, yes, I do think that Voldemort will be able to lure Harry back to the wizarding world eventually, I mean, if they don't kill each other or anything like that.

**BKwriter:** Thank you! I was wondering if anyone would recognize Deldir as being Riddle. I mean, he loves anagrams, so I had to keep that going. But really, it's awesome that you noticed that. I'm not sure if anyone else actually did. Kudos, man. And I hope you keep reading to find out what happens.

**Reader-anonymous:** Well, as to why Harry didn't check the amulet for spells... *Clears throat* It was given to him by a muggle acquaintance/friend who creates jewelry and it doesn't exactly look like an amulet. Does that make sense at all? And, yes, Thomas Deldir. Thomas is just another form of Tom, and... Well, the second part's an anagram. But, thank you for reading and reviewing.

**Fireotaku18:** Ah, I've got you hooked on my story? Brilliant. Then, I hope that means that you're going to keep reading. But don't pull your hair out over the story. I swear... No, wait. You might want to actually.

**Anon:** Well, I'm not really sure that Harry is gay. I think he's more bi. And as for Voldemort realizing that fact that Harry is bi? I think he'll realize it very soon. I thought it would be nice for Harry to work in a bookshop, too. I mean, hello, Hermione? That has got to rub off on him a bit. Plus... I love books.

**xxxblast:** Glad you think that the story is interesting so far, and sorry for not updating sooner. And really, thanks for the advanced "Merry Christmas". I hope you had good holidays as well.

**Emriel:** Exciting? Interesting? Thank you, glad you think so. I promise that you'll find out why Harry left the wizarding world in a bit. I might take a few chapters, though. And as for Nagini... I just wanted to make her smart. I like her. And, no. Voldemort doesn't know about Harry being his horcrux.

**Mystia Katsuragi:** Well, I'm glad that you're caught up and that there weren't too many mistakes. I do try to keep them out, but a few always seem to slip through. And I just had to have Luna in the story, and I though she'd be a nice person to sort of pair with Voldemort. Hope you liked this chapter, too.

**LIGHTNSHADOWS:** Thank you. Okay, you had a lost of questions, and I swear they'll be answered... in time. See? I'm evil. But I mean we've always known that Voldemort's sort of obsessed with Harry, and so of course he'd be interested in the puzzle that is Harry. But... You'll have to keep rading to find out the rest.

**LarryTheBalrog:** You think it's original? Wow. Thanks. I mean, that's one of the highest complements that I could get. And you think it's well written. Even better. Plus, you think I kept Voldemort in character. Thank you, thank you, and thank you. I'm thrilled that you think so, and I promise to keep the story going.

**mountain ash:** Well, thank you very much. I do try to keep my characters in character. It makes things more real to me. Does that make sense? Maybe? But, I'm glad you think I'm going a good job so far and I swear I'll keep writing.

**Isabelle Eir:** Ah, you're making me blush, Isabelle. New and brilliant? Well, thank you. It's nice of you to say, and I'm very glad that you think so. And I think you may be right about Voldemort doing the comedy circuit, or at least going into asking. He really does have a flair for the dramatic. Anyway, I hope it made you laugh, and that you'll keep reading.

**Leo Lovely:** Ah, you're dying for more? Well, sorry to make you wait, but I do hope that you enjoyed this short chapter. I promise that there's more to come.

**Izara Sprightly of Redmont:** *takes a bow* Well, thank you much. It's nice to know that you enjoy the story.

**Ms. Vader:** It's nice to know that you think my story's going to be great, and I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Thank you for reviewing.


	4. Other Opinions

The next day, Voldemort had made up his mind. He wanted a second opinion on his new puzzle, Harry Potter. He raised his wand, giving it a flick, and muttered an incantation under his breath.

A moment later, Luna came wandering into the room.

Since she'd refused one of his marks, she wore a large neon green bangle with constellations on it, her design not his, which glowed and send little jolts of electricity to the wearer. Not enough to hurt, but just enough to get her attention.

She smiled at him in her vague, yet somehow endearing, manner. "Yes, Tom?"

He twitched at the use of his name, but said, "Send Lucius, Draco, and Severus to me at once."

She nodded and started to leave, but then stopped. "Oh, I almost forgot. I was hunting for a Spiral-clawed Clumporks—they're related to Crumple-horned Snorlacks, you know—and I found this. I thought it might help you calm down. It's a Blibberberry. It absorbs negative emotions," she said, digging through the pockets of her robe and then setting something on his desk before giving him another vague smile and leaving the room.

Voldemort looked suspiciously at the small, brown, rather shriveled looking spheres on his desk that smelled like last month's laundry with distaste. He didn't even want to touch the things. With a prod of his wand, he vanished the thing, and cast a quick scourgify on his desk for good measure. He really needed to make it clear to her that he didn't want, nor appreciated, her… things. He didn't even know what to call them.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, diverting his attention away from Blibberberries. "Come in," he called, settling back into his chair.

Three figures came in and stood before him. Lucius Malfoy, Draco, and Severus.

The Dark Lord eyed them thoughtfully.

Lucius and Draco looked so much alike, with the identical silvery pale hair and pointed faces. Draco was softer, though, not having the stomach for torture. He was also a little git, but he was useful. He had a natural ability for potions, an ability being nurtured by Severus, and he was always there to taunt if he was bored. But really, the two Malfoys took such good care of their hair it was almost an obsession. He was fairly certain that Lucius would do anything for him… short of shaving his head bald.

Severus stood to the side, arms hanging loose at his side, looking better than he had in years. His nose was still hooked and his hair slightly greasy from potions fumes, but he looked younger and less worn now that the stress of being a double agent was gone.

Voldemort spoke suddenly, startling them. "Draco?"

The boy almost jumped. "Yes, my lord?"

"How well did you know Harry Potter during your school days?"

Silver eyes widened at the question and then the familiar sneer that appeared on his face every time the Boy-Who-Lived was mentioned twisted his features. "Potter? Why do you want to know about him?" Draco asked.

Voldemort raised a single eyebrow, and Draco remembered who exactly he was talking to.

He gulped. "Ah, yes. Potter. I'd say that I knew him fairly well. We were… rivals, I suppose. Hated each other."

"And would you say that Harry was a particularly studious type?"

Draco stared at him in something akin to astonishment. "Studious? Potter? That's one of the last things I'd call him. Brash, pig-headed, attention seeking, noble, and undisciplined might be more accurate. Maybe arrogant, stupidly heroic-"

Voldemort cut him off before his rant, which seemed to happen any time Harry's name was mentioned, continued. "I understand."

Draco fell silent, looking nervous.

He turned to Severus. "And your opinion of the boy?"

"I think," the potions master drawled, "that for the most part, Draco is correct. Yet…" A slight frown crossed his face. "Towards the end, a few months before Potter disappeared, he seemed to change."

"How so?" Voldemort inquired curiously.

"When no one was looking, or he thought no one was looking, he got this almost exhausted look on his face, and he was quieter, spending more and more time with that muggle-born friend of his, Miss Granger."

That made sense, so far. He leaned forward in his chair. "You three might have heard rumors that someone came in with information of where Harry Potter was?"

They nodded silently.

"Well, the rumors, for once, are true. He's alive and well and living in London, working in a bookstore of all places. I went to go visit him."

There were three identical gasps, and Voldemort hid a grin. They were so easy to shock.

He continued. "In a disguise of course. He had no idea that it was me. If fact, he was rather friendly. But, he seems... different than I remember him. I would like you three to come along and meet him, study him, and then give me your opinion. Of course, you three will have to be disguised as well. Are you three agreeable to this?" Asking their permission was just for politeness sake. They were going to do it, and they all knew it.

Lucius nodded, giving a deep bow. "Of course, my lord."

"Wonderful," Voldemort said, rising smoothly out of his chair and then standing in front of them. "You will, of course, need new names as well. Harry knows me as Thomas Deldir."

He saw Severus's face twist in amusement at the anagram.

"Something similar to your names so that you don't forget or not answer to it. Lucius… I think Luke Maston rather suits you." He flicked his wand over the pale-haired man in three deft movements of his wand.

Silver-blonde hair shrunk, retreating into his skull in a way that was rather nauseating to look at until it was a crop, and the color darkened to a golden blonde. His features became less pointed and his skin less pale. Finally, he shrunk a few inches. When Voldemort was done, there stood a muscular blonde man with brown eyes in his twenties before him.

He nodded approvingly and gestured for Severus to mask himself. He actually trusted Severus to do it; the man was at least competent.

A moment later, instead of a hooked nosed man in billowing black robes, there was a young man in his mid twenties with neatly combed black hair, light blue eyes, and wearing a black turtle necked sweater and jeans.

Voldemort was amused to notice that he now had a perfectly straight, and rather small, nose. "You will be… Hmm… Sean Price."

He turned to Draco, not even trying to hide the devilry in his smile.

Draco shrunk down before him, knowing something cringe worthy was about to happen and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"I have something special in mind for you, Draco."

Draco attempted a smile and failed miserably. "S-special, my lord?"

"Oh, very."

Both Lucius and Severus took a step away for safety's sake.

"Instead of being Draco Malfoy…" His lips curved into a slightly sadistic smile, and he swished his wand. "How about being Daphne Maston?"

Before him stood a petite blonde, with golden ringlets, that was most definitely female.

"What? What do you mean Daphne?" Draco asked, his voice coming out high-pitched. His eyes widened when he heard his voice, and he rushed over to the mirror, only to shriek.

Lucius and Severus made a half-hearted attempt to cover their snickers.

Draco stomped back over to him, looking as threatening as a twelve year old girl wearing a dress with copious amounts of ruffles could. "No. I will not parade around in this form. It's utterly-"

"You can and will. I've already told Harry that I have a friend who has a little sister with a birthday coming up. You can be her. Now, do you have any problems with that?"

Baby blue eyes glared at him furiously, and he had the feeling that if he was anyone but the Dark Lord, he would be rolling on the floor screaming in agony. "No, none at all." It sounded like he was biting his tongue in half to force himself to say the words.

Voldemort snickered inwardly. Being the most powerful wizard in the world with a reputation for cruelty was extremely useful.

"Could… Could you at least make it less frilly? Please?" Draco pleaded, pointing to the dress. "It's making me feel like I'm wearing one of Dolores Umbridge's tea cozies. All it needs is kittens on it." He shuddered.

The thing he was wearing was indeed hideous, the color of bubblegum with enough ruffles to make an entire other dress. "Fine," he conceded, mostly because his eyes were burning from looking at the monstrosity. The pink thing morphed into neat navy blue jumper.

"Thank you, my lord," Draco breathed gratefully.

After quickly, but carefully, transforming himself back into Thomas Deldir, he nodded to them. "Are you all ready?"

"Yes," they chorused.

"Good. Now, hold onto me," he ordered, managing not to cringe as they stood in a circle, Lucius holding his left hand cautiously, and Severus his right. Both of their other hands were on Draco's, or rather Daphne's, shoulders.

Then, with a twisting motion, they disapparated. It was always more unpleasant when there was more than one person. Instead of one person trying to fit into an eight-centimeter tube, now there were four people sharing the space. It was disagreeable to say the least.

They apparated in the same little alley bordered by red brick buildings. Voldemort straightened up and smoothed back his hair. "Follow me, and for Merlin's sake, don't let him know who you are. If you do… I will be very displeased."

They knew exactly what he meant. When he was displeased, bored, or generally just in a foul mood, there tended to be blood, screaming, and emotional scarring involved.

This time, when he walked into the shop, Harry was once again sitting behind the desk, his nose buried in another book, and legs curled up under him.

Voldemort didn't speak at once, but studied the scene before him. Harry looked almost… cute. He shook his head, shuddering. What a revolting thought. Maybe he was coming down with something.

He cleared his throat, and just like before, Harry jumped and emerald eyes flashed up towards him.

Harry's face split into a welcoming grin. "Thomas! What, back so soon?"

Voldemort nodded. "Mmhmm. I rather liked the company and thought I'd come back," he said with a grin, and then added, "And I thought I'd bring some friends with me. This is Luke Maston and his younger sister, Daphne. I told you about them. And this is Sean Price. He's interested in old and rare books."

Harry shook their hands, smiling at them. "Well, it's nice to meet you all. I'm Harry. Harry Evans."

Severus almost imperceptibly stiffened at the surname.

Harry turned to Snape. "If you're looking for old books, we have some on the back book shelf in the left corner. There are some first editions and some rare ones if you're interested."

Severus inclined his head. "Thank you. I think I will take a look," he said, moving off in the direction indicated, but Voldemort knew that he'd be watching Harry's every move.

Harry glanced down at Draco, sparing a friendly smile at who he perceived to be an adorable girl, and then looked back at Voldemort. "I'll be right back. I'd like to show Daphne the fantasy section."

He turned to Lucius. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all. I'm sure she'd love to see them," Lucius said graciously, most likely having no idea what he meant by "fantasy."

Harry looked down at Draco. "Want to see them? Thomas said that you were interested in books about magic and princesses and things like that."

Draco opened his mouth, most likely to say something rude, but he caught Voldemort's eye and said instead, "Yes. I'd like to see them very much," in such a sweet voice that his teeth hurt.

Harry led him off down an aisle of books, and Voldemort shifted so that he could see them.

Harry brought down a book off of the shelf and offered it to Draco. "What do you think about this one?"

The blonde looked at it with scorn. "How old do you think I am?"

"Umm… Around ten?"

"I'm… twelve, thank you very much," Draco rejoined haughtily.

"Right, so sorry about that." Voldemort could tell that Harry was trying not to laugh. "Well then, how about this one?"

"Really? The cover is pink. It's been my experience that no good books are ever pink." Now Draco was just being difficult on purpose, and seemed to be enjoying it.

"Er… All right then. This one?" He merely got a scornful look. "Okay, okay! Try this one. It's a bit dark, but you might like it."

Draco peered at it. "It might be adequate."

Harry shook his head disbelievingly. "You are one of the oddest girl's I've ever met."

For that, he got the book thrown at him, quite literally, and a blonde glaring at him. "Excuse me? Odd? I don't think you have any right to call me that, P-" He froze suddenly.

Voldemort knew the word that had been forming on his lips. Potter.

Harry looked at Draco curiously. "What were you going to call me?"

Draco flushed and looked down, mumbling, "Nothing."

"No, come on. What was it?"

"I get in trouble if I say it."

"Come on…"

"Peabrain," Draco said, eyes cast down and managing to look exactly like a naughty, yet incredibly cute, child.

Voldemort really had to give it to him. Draco's acting skills had certainly improved.

To Draco's surprise, Harry laughed, eyes crinkling at the corners. "Well, I certainly won't tell. But, really, I would prefer it if you called me Harry. And it wasn't an insult to call you odd. I mean in a unique way. It's a good thing. After all, who wants to be completely normal? Sounds boring to me. Now," he bent down and picked up the thrown book off of the ground. "Please don't throw the books," he chastised gently, "they need to be taken care of and treated with respect. I'm going to go talk to Thomas and your brother. Call me if you need anything, alright?"

Draco nodded dumbly, probably going into a slightly catatonic state, unused to Harry Potter being nice to him, and didn't even protest as Harry patted his head.

Voldemort watched all of this with a curious interest. Harry was very good with children, even children who were really wizard school mates who hated his guts.

Lucius even seemed to be flabbergasted that Draco wasn't pitching more of a fit.

Harry walked back over to them and flashed a smile at Lucius. "She's adorable, and quite a power to be reckoned with, yeah?"

"A power to be reckoned with? I suppose you could say that. D-Daphne is certainly a little pest sometimes, but we're family after all," Lucius said with an elegant shrug of his shoulders.

Voldemort rejoined the conversation, somehow unreasonably annoyed that Harry's attention wasn't directed towards him. "So, I came here yesterday, but there was another woman working here."

"You mean Melissa?" Harry asked.

"Did someone call my name?" a familiar, and not at all welcomed, voice asked.

Voldemort span around, only to come face to face with the brown-haired woman from before.

Her face hardened slightly as she saw him. "Oh, it's you," she said in a tone of voice that one might use for saying, "Oh, look a slug."

"Yes, it's me," Voldemort replied.

They glared at each other, and the look in her eyes was most definitely a challenge.

Voldemort smirked. They seemed to be fighting over Harry. Well, then. Game on.

* * *

><p>Another chapter has arrived! And I brought in some of our favorite characters, Snape, Lucius, and Draco! Ah... I really loved writing this chapter, especially what the dark lord did to Draco. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Oh, one more thing. If you go to the reviews on this story and go to Izara Sprightly of Redmont's review for chapter three, she wrote an omake. Rather funny. You guys should check it out.<p>

Ja ne,

_Rumer Hasit_

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><p><strong>peppymint:<strong> Umm... Yes, I suppose Harry could know that Thomas was the dark lord, but how exactly does he know? I mean, is he just naturally paranoid (I could totally see that) and is suspicious of everyone? But how would he figure out that Thomas is Voldemort? Oh, and thanks for reviewing.

**Reader-Anonymous:** What? No need to thank me for replying to your review. I mean, the way I think about it is like this... You took the time to review and tell me what you think, so it's the least I can do to reply to that. Besides, I like to, you know? And I think Harry especially needs luck... He was no idea what he's in for.

**Gemini Peverell:** Ah, yes civilization is nice, I suppose, although I like being way out in the country, too. But... I can't live without my internet! I think I went into internet withdrawal. And I'm glad you liked the chapter.

**itachisgurl93:** Judging from that review, you really enjoyed the last chapter. Nice to know, and I'm glad you did. And... you spent 2.5 months without internet? You poor, poor deprived girl. That shouldn't happen to any teenager. But, at least you got to see your grandparents.

**krysania:** The story intrigued you greatly? I don't think anyone has said that in a review before, but good. If it intrigued you, that means that you'll keep reading... hopefully. Anyway, thank you for reviewing, and I hope you liked this chapter.

**olciak123:** You want some more? YOU WANT SOME MORE? Well, here you go.

**LittleCatZ:** It's great to know that the story amuses you, and that you'll stick around, but more importantly... You have a fake beard? That's awesome. I should try and grow one just so that I can do that beard-stroking thing that makes the older men in the movies look so wise... *cough cough* But, getting back on topic. I'm glad you like how I'm portraying Voldemort and the rest of it. I seriously loved your review. It made me crack up.

**Mystia Katsuragi:** You enjoyed it? Wonderful. But, may I ask, what is kataomoi? Sorry my update was so slow, though. But, I do hope that you enjoyed this chapter.

**CeilingFan:** Sigh... I know. I bet Voldemort didn't even think of all of the paperwork and dealing with people that he would have to do when the whole conquering thing was over and done with. I loved who you compared him with as well... But, on another note, thankfully, he has Luna to help with along. Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you keep reading.

**Barranca:** Yep. Voldemort - Oops - I mean, Thomas, left quite an impression. And, yes, Harry probably felt the tingle and marked it off as chemistry instead of, say, magic? Like the sort of magic that comes from your nemesis being nearby... Yeah, that probably wouldn't cross his mind.

**Fireotaku18:** Cruel? Well, this isn't the first time that someone's been accused me of being that. It was cruel and unusual to Leave Harry out, wasn't it? But, hopefully this chapter made up for it.

**Isabelle Eir:** I just couldn't resist seeing how possessive I could make Voldemort in the last chapter. And I wanted a female protagonist (I think that's the right word) who would stand up to him and who he couldn't kill. I mean, Harry might be a little suspicious if Thomas suddenly shows up, Melissa doesn't like him, and she suddenly vanishes or something. Yeah, just a bit suspicious.

**FiresBurningTouch:** Hmmm... You know what? I'm happy to know you like the story, but I'm ashamed to say that I didn't really think too much about why Luna joined up with him. I just thought that they would be good together. But, I promise to think deeply on the subject.

**Izara Sprightly of Redmont:** Yes! Glad you liked Ms. Muggle, I mean, Melissa. But, I do agree with you, Luna is the best. Aaaand... I absolutely loved your omake. I absolutely loved it. I just kept laughing... and laughing, and then I reread it and started laughing all over again. So, thank you for that. And I hope you like this chapter.

**mountain ash:** My muggle girl is just a muggle girl, normal, pretty, etc, who happens to work with Harry and has a crush on Harry. As for Harry's feelings towards her... I'm afraid you'll have to keep reading to find out. That's right. I'm evil that way. I doubt she'll be too important to the plot, but she'll be reappearing, and as for her second sight... She might have had some wizarding relatives way back. Oh, one more thing. Thank you for the constructive criticism. Really.

**Q3APo:** Yes, you see the beginning of a love story that will rock the ages... or at least scar some minds. And as for Harry's order friends... all will be explained... as long as you keep reading.

**lilyoftheval5:** An interesting take? Well, thank you. Thank you very much. I apologize for the long wait for this chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it.

**SoulMore -t.y.u.i.t.y.u.i:** You're a FAN! Really? Well, I highly appreciate that. It's nice to know that you like my story. Hopefully, it made you laugh, and hopefully this chapter brought you enjoyment as well.

**Melikalilly:** You do? Well, thank you. I'm glad you do. Thank you for reviewing this chapter.


	5. Further Facts

**!*!*! ATTENTION ... ВНИМАНИЕ ... ATENTIE !*!*!**

**Disclaimer: **Quick question. Is Ron a bit of a git? Yes, yes he is. That's how you know I didn't write Harry Potter. The timid awesomeness that is Neville Longbottom would have become the third member of the Golden trio. Read on!

* * *

><p>Harry looked back and forth between the two. "I take it that you two have met, then?" he asked, stating the obvious.<p>

The girl, Melissa, nodded. "Oh, we have. Harry, can I talk to you for a moment? Alone?"

"What?" He glanced at Voldemort and Lucius, and then gave them an apologetic smile. "I'll be back in a second, okay?" And then he allowed Melissa to drag him off to a corner of the shop.

Voldemort strained his ears in their direction, but couldn't hear anything besides heated whispers. This was one of those times when he wished that he had one of the Weasely twin's extendable ears. So useful… He actually rather liked the twins themselves, as well. Unlike the majority of their family, they weren't still trying to oppose him and weren't constantly denouncing him as an evil scumbag dictator, or something along those lines. He'd stopped paying attention.

Snape sidled over, appearing as if by magic from a dark row of books. "Would you like to know what they're arguing about? I think Potter forgot that I was nearby."

"Well?"

"It's about you, it seems. She doesn't trust you and thinks you're a bad influence, trying to persuade Potter not to see you anymore. He, on the other hand, is being his usual good-hearted self." The way he said it made it sound like a particularly undesirable illness. "He says you've been nothing but pleasant and can't see a reason for her animosity against you. Apparently, he's absolutely oblivious to the fact she's fond of him. He said, to placate her I'm sure, that he'll make sure that you leave at the first sign that you're, to use his phrasing, a rotter."

Voldemort nodded, a pleased expression on his countenance. Good. The boy didn't believe her, and she was most likely alienating him with her behavior. And he had barely had to do anything at all!

Then, Severus added, "Also, they appear to be making plans to go out later…"

The Dark Lord frowned, his mood switching suddenly. Now that was annoying.

Harry came back a moment later, still apologetic. "Sorry about that. Melissa just wanted to talk about something store related."

Really, he was a dreadful liar.

"And she came in to relieve me so to speak."

Lucius raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Oh? You get off work now?"

"Yeah. I only work here until three. After this, I go to my other job."

"Which is?"

"Well… it's not quite one thing I do. I mean… Look, would you like to see? You three might find it interesting, and Daphne might even be interested. They have some classes for the younger kids there, " Harry said, grabbing a leather bag from behind the desk and throwing it over his shoulder after shoving a book in it.

Voldemort blinked. Harry had said absolutely nothing about what his job actually was in that whole thing. And kids classes? Maybe some sort of arts center or something?

He nodded, "Sure. Since you made me curious, I just have to see it now. What about you? Luke? Sean?"

They nodded, following his lead.

"Great," Harry beamed. "You might even want to sign up for some classes yourselves."

Sign up for what exactly?

Draco's blonde-curled head came poking out from one of the aisles. "What's happening?"

"We're going to go see exactly what Harry's other job is," Voldemort said in a kind voice, definitely suited for talking to children. "Are you ready?"

"Yes. Just one minute, Thomas."

Voldemort sighed internally. He much preferred being called Lord Voldemort or something of that nature.

The head disappeared, and then Draco reappeared carrying a stack of books that seemed to be half as tall as he was.

Lucius almost gaped at his son, almost because Malfoys don't gape. "What are all of those?"

"Books. I'd like to get them."

"And how are you going to pay for them?"

Draco actually pouted, an action that would have been extremely disturbing on his usual form and was more than mildly disconcerting on this one, and said, "But my birthday is coming up, and you said you'd get me anything I wanted. I want these." This was accompanied by puppy-dog eyes and quivering lips.

Voldemort eyed both him and the pile of books. He was probably just getting them to annoy Lucius for not standing up for him when Voldemort transformed him into a girl.

Harry was looking at Lucius expectantly. And, with a small, shared smile, Voldemort and Snape joined ganging up on the man.

"You did promise her, Luke," Voldemort lied gleefully.

"Oh, fine," Lucius snapped. "I'll buy you the books."

"All of them?" Draco pressed.

"Yes, all of them."

"Yay!" Draco set down the books, and clapped his hands together in the picture of childish delight.

Voldemort was pretty sure that there was an evil smirk in there, too. A moment later, he saw why.

Along with some normal fantasy, Draco had somehow managed to find the most expensive books in the store, ranging from music to Shakespeare to a leather bound journal from the 19th century on different types of sea turtles.

Harry's expressive eyes widened when he saw the total. "Um… Are you sure that you want all of those?"

"Yes," chirped Draco.

"That will be a total of one thousand eight hundred, forty-two pounds, and seventeen pence."

Lucius's eye twitched noticeably. To spend that much on muggle books… He was probably imagining throttling Draco at the moment. He moved as though to reach for money, and then stopped, eyes widening.

Voldemort knew what the problem was. He didn't have any muggle money, and, if he did, he wouldn't know how to use it.

He hurriedly stepped in. "I know you lost your card, Luke. I'll spot you, and you can pay me back later."

Lucius nodded at him gratefully, and Voldemort handed Harry a credit card.

After the books were bagged, and Draco had sweetly said, "Luke, you have to carry the bags for me because I'm a girl," they were ready to go.

And, so they left the bookstore, Melissa giving Harry a frown as he left with them, which he ignored.

Severus seemed to be in danger of choking from repressed laughter. Lucius looked like he wanted to murder his son in a particularly painful fashion, and Draco looked to be enjoying himself immensely.

Harry and Voldemort walked a little ahead of the others as they moved down the street.

Harry smiled up at the taller man. "It was really nice to lend him that much money. I'm rather surprised that you let her buy those things, though."

Voldemort waved it aside, although slightly pleased. "He's my friend." Follower. "And it's her birthday soon. I guess I just wanted to indulger her a little." Or help him annoy his father.

Harry nodded. "Still. It was nice of you. By the way, I have a question. What do you do? For a living, I mean."

Voldemort paused. "I… I'm a manager." Well, that wasn't strictly false. In fact, it was pretty accurate. He was just leaving out the details, like that he managed the wizarding world. Just little details.

Harry stopped suddenly. "Well, this is my other job. I suppose it's more like a hobby, though. I opened up the place with a friend."

Voldemort looked up at the sign above the door. It read, in rather square blue letters, "Balance." He peered in through gleaming windows. "A gym?" he guessed aloud.

"Not exactly," Harry corrected. "They teach martial arts here, and other things, too. They teach yoga, tai chi, tae kwon do, ju jitsu, meditation, and several other things as well."

Severus spoke up. "You work in a bookstore and… teach here?"

Harry flushed slightly. "Yes. I know they don't exactly seem to go together, but they, well, balance each other out. I learned martial arts because I wanted to be able to defend myself without a w-"

Wand, Harry?

"Weapon," Harry finished.

It was actually a good idea. While the majority of wizards were disinclined to learn how to fight using hand to hand combat, dismissing it as brutish and unnecessary, Voldemort wasn't of that opinion. What if you didn't have your wand? What then? None of the spells in the world, no matter how brilliant, could save you then. Which is why he, while not practicing a martial art, kept in shape at least.

He followed Harry into the building, taking in it's clean, white walls, wooden floors, and plethora of bamboo plants.

A woman at a desk cupped a hand over the speaker of her phone and shot Harry a quick, "Hello, Harry. They've changed your schedule today. Kids class starts tomorrow. They've switched things all around. You're teaching beginners today, your usual class. Got it?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I've got it. Thanks, Anne." He tugged on Voldemort's sleeve, jerking his head towards a doorway. "If you want to stay, just go through there and take a seat on one of the benches. I need to go change." And then, before he could say anything, the green-eyed boy sped off.

The woman at the desk shot him a knowing wink, for what he couldn't say, and then made a shooing motion with her hands towards the room that Harry had indicated.

He didn't even pause, but walked in, Lucius, Severus, and Draco trailing behind him.

It was a dojo, with wooden benches lining the walls and thick blue mats covering the majority of the floor. The room was already filled with more than dozen people who glanced at them quickly and then went back to what they were doing.

Voldemort lounged on the bench in a manner almost abnormally elegant, legs crossed, and waited for Harry to make his appearance. The first thing he noticed was that there seemed to be a high number of women in the class, more than half. Wasn't that unusual? And they were tittering for some reason.

Then, Harry came in, wearing a pair of soft, white cotton pants and a T-shirt. He strode to the front of the room, padding barefoot across the floor silently, and then turned to face the crowd of people.

"Okay!" he said, clapping his hands together. "We're going to be doing the basics today, but, since you all got what I taught you last time… I thought we could start throwing and pinning people today. How does that sound?"

The students nodded excitedly.

Voldemort blinked and wondered how much fire whiskey he had been drinking to imagine this hallucination. Harry Potter, the savior of the wizarding world… worked part time at a bookstore and part time teaching martial arts? He was pretty sure the prophecy hadn't said anything about this.

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><p>Hello, all of you wizards, witches, house-elves, and any aliens that may or may not be reading this. That's right. I made Harry bad-ass. Well, he's proficient at fighting at least. I didn't want to make him just a book worm, even if I love book worms. Plus, this will keep him fit... Right. I have no idea what I'm babbling about any more. Anyway, in about two chapter, things are going to start really moving along and a whole bunch of questions people have been asking about the story will be answered! Plus, a whole bunch of potentially disturbing things will happen. Cool, right?<p>

Ja ne,

_Rumer Hasit_

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><p><strong>Fireotaku18:<strong> Yes, Draco in a dress... Awesome, right? I'm waiting for him to come along and use the cruciatus curse on me, though. In this chapter, though, I think he was a little too at ease being a girl... He's probably going to be teased about that later. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter.

**Reader-Anonymous:** Yes, Draco and Lucius almost blew it. But, Severus, being the amazing git he is, did pretty well. Voldemort knows he can count on Snape... Well, more so than any of the other, except perhaps Luna. She's just plain awesome in her own right. Well, apparently we're both addicted to the internet. I... I'm not sure I could go back to having no internet without having some sort of major psychological break down. The internet is just so packed full of useful information!

**RRW:** Well, thank you. I'm glad that you think the story is funny. Thank you for reading my story and for reviewing.

**OmnitrixFairy74:** Ah, you think it's good? That's nice to know. And you say you wanted an update? Well, sorry this one took so long, but I do hope you enjoy it. Oh, and interesting name.

**Gemini Peverell:** Wonderful? What a nice thing to say. I appreciate it, and I'm glad that you like the last chapter, Gemini. I also hope that you liked this one, even if it was a little short.

**Barranca:** Yes, I rather think that she will. I mean, I don't think she'll mean to, but she will, and neither of them will know what's happening probably. Ah... I can just imagine it all... Poor Harry. He's in for a world of disturbingness, isn't he?

**sousie:** Well, I didn't exactly update soon, but I do hope that you enjoyed this chapter.

**olciak123:** Yes, tons of disguises. Ah... But, as to what you said, no what's in here isn't extremely important to the plot, but it does set some things up between him and Draco later, so I guess it's minor part? Anyway, if you'll continue reading, in about two chapter, things really should get deeper into the plot.

**mountain ash:** Yes! I love a disguised Draco, too. Especially when it annoys him so much. And it means a lot that you think he's in character. I really do try to keep them in character. It seems like it makes the story more real somehow, you know?

**noelnoel2:** So, you liked the exchange between Harry and Draco? Well, good. I was just trying to figure out how they would interact if Harry had no idea who he was talking to and Draco still despised Harry's guts. And, yes, P-peabrain... At least Draco covered up his slip.

**IkutoisSmexy:** You loved it? Well, I love you for loving it... Okay, that sounds a little odd. You know what I mean, right? I appreciate that you like my story. That's what I mean... Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**history:** Yes, Harry has finally found some peace in his tumultuous life... for a little at lease. I think Voldemort is going to crush that peacefulness and introduce some chaos into his life again. But he'll probably bring some good things as well... I think. And Voldemort asking Severus, Draco, and Lucius would be something he might do. I mean, Draco and Severus do know a lot about Harry, right? Although, they both sort of hate him, so they might be a little biased.

**Identity:** Ummm... Yes. Voldemort doesn't quite realize that he likes Harry yet... There's probably going to be a whole bunch more of denial before that comes about, but we all know it's going to happen in the end, don't we? I'm sure there will be plenty of fluffiness later, although... I don't actually know what smexy is... care to explain?

**Demigod . Exorcist . Magic:** Yes! Voldemort does indeed have a sense of humor! Amazing, right? Who knew? And, yes, Voldemort is a bit lenient with Snape and Lucius, but they haven't done anything that needs punishing... yet. And Voldemort really doesn't like Melissa, does he? The battle for Harry's attention begins! And as for what happened to the Order of the Phoenix and the rest of them, I'll explain that all in a few chapters.

**Isys Skeeter:** Yes! You're a fan! It made me grin like an absolute loon when I read that, Isys. And I will most definitely continue with this story. I don't see how I could possibly stop with you asking for another chapter.

**sasunaru2themax:** Is this a soon enough update for you? And thank you for reading and reviewing this story.


	6. A Captivating Class

**!*!*! ATTENTION ... AANDAG ... KUJDES !*!*****!**

**Disclaimer:** I didn't write one single word of Harry Potter, this fact is apparent by the fact that the Weasely twins didn't get their own books series or at the very least more page time. Praise their awesomeness. Praise it!

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><p>Voldemort watch as Harry raised his voice again. "So, I think it would be best if I demonstrated first. Could I have a volunteer?"<p>

All but two people in the class raised their hands.

"Amy! Will you come up here, please?"

A young woman with curly red hair almost ran to the front of the class. Then, Harry got down on the ground, lying on his back, and motioned for the woman to get on top of him. She blushed furiously, but straddled him, pinning him down.

Harry was still talking to the class. "Now, if someone has you pinned down, and, assuming you want to get up, the first thing you should try to do is buck them off of you." He bucked his hips suddenly, and Amy went off balance. In a flash, Harry had pushed her off, rolled over, and pinned her down, effectively reversing their positions. He looked at the class. "See? It works a lot of the time. Now, it won't work if they know what they're doing, or if they weigh too much, but I've found that it works most of the time."

Next to him, Lucius's eyes were bugging out, and he seemed incapable of either speech or dragging his eyes away from the sight in front of him. And Voldemort could see why. He was a rather stiff, definitely prudish, painfully proper pure blood. This probably seemed raunchy to him.

Draco was simply staring, and Snape had one eyebrow raised but didn't otherwise seem bothered.

Harry stood up and offered a hand to the girl, which she took with a blush before scurrying back to her friends. Harry looked around the room again with a smile. "Okay, now. Pick a partner. I'll show you another example or two after that, and then you guys can practice yourselves."

People roamed around the room, picking partners, and two girls, obviously friends, walked over to where their bags were sitting on the ground near the four wizards in disguise.

Voldemort cleared his throat slightly, gaining their attention.

The two women, one with soft brown hair and the other a very lovely Indian with stunning eyes, flushed slightly upon seeing him.

"Yes?" I brunette asked.

"I was just wondering about this class, since I was thinking about taking it myself. Could you tell me about it?" Apparently, he had hit upon one of her favorite subjects, because her eyes lit up and she was off.

"Yes! This is a great class. Harry's a wonderful teacher! He's patient and gentle and smart and completely hot-"

Her friend cut her off with an elbow to her side and an embarrassed glance at Voldemort. "Rosemary! I'm sorry about her. This really is a good class, though. It's very affordable and there are multiple times when you can attend class, so it works with most schedules. Not only that, but-"

"But, Harry is amazing and cute," Rosemary interrupted. "What Pima means is that she thinks Harry is the cutest thing in this building and a good teacher, and she's trying to hide that opinion under a whole bunch of politeness." From Pima's blush, her words probably weren't far off the truth.

Voldemort couldn't help but shake his head slightly. Even in the muggle world, without people knowing that he was the Chosen One, he still had fans. "So, you think this would be a good class to join?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Absolutely! You'll learn a lot, plus we can always use some more eye candy," Rosemary said with a wink. And then the pair dissolved into very feminine giggles.

Voldemort turned away, slightly disturbed but mostly amused, as everyone moved back to the floor and stood with their partners.

Harry looked at them all. "Okay, so for this example, I need someone quite tiny. How about… Daphne, would you help me?"

Draco's eyes widened and then narrowed. "Me? Why? What do you want me to do?"

Harry gestured for him to come up next to him. "I just need to show how size doesn't necessarily matter. Come on." The blonde didn't move from his seat, and instead continued to stare at Harry suspiciously. Harry rolled his eyes, sighing. "Nothing bad will happen to you, and you get to manhandle me."

The blonde popped up immediately. "I'll do it."

Voldemort laughed at the gleeful look on Draco's face. Sadistic little git.

"Lovely to know that you're so enthusiastic," Harry said dryly. He cleared his throat and addressed both his class and Draco. "You'd all agree that I'd easily be able to restrain her, right? She probably weighs half of what I do. But what if I tell you that with some training, she could fend me off. It's all about using your opponents momentum and mass against them."

He walked away from her to the end of the room, still talking. "Take, for example, if I was running towards her. She could incapacitate me. Now, Daphne. This is what I want you to do, okay? When I get close to you, grab my shirt, where my lapels would be, go down, curling your back as you do so so that you roll, and wedge your foot into my stomach. Then, as my momentum carries me, kick me up and over you, okay? Do you have that?"

Draco stood there, in his blue jumper, looking like an adorable girl, but his face was oddly serious. "I understand."

Harry nodded. "Good, and don't worry. You won't get hurt at all. Now, everyone, watch."

Voldemort, Severus, and Lucius leaned forward simultaneously as Harry broke into a gentle run.

He ran straight at Draco, not stopping, but Voldemort could see him slow slightly as he came up to him. Then, Draco did exactly as he had been instructed, grabbing Harry's shirt with small hands, rolling backwards, and taking Harry down with him. In one fluid movement, and with the slight assistance of Draco's foot, Harry flew over him, through the air, before landing with a loud thump on the ground.

Draco scurried up to his feet and saw Harry on his back on the ground. And then he let out a squeal, which Voldemort was quite sure he would deny making later. "That was… amazing! Are you okay?"

Harry groaned slightly, pushing himself to his feet. "That as not one of my best landings. You're a lot stronger than I thought you were." And that was, although Harry didn't know it, because while Draco had the appearance of a little girl, still had the strength of a young man.

Draco bounced up and down excitedly. "Can I do that again?"

"Haven't you had enough of manhandling me?" Harry asked back.

"Nope."

Harry blinked. "Ookay… As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, I think that will be enough. You can go sit down now."

A seemingly disappointed Draco pranced back to the bench and sat down on it primly. Voldemort shook his head. As soon as they got back to the ministry, he was turning Draco back into his male-ponce self. It was just too wrong to see him so at home as a little girl. So wrong indeed. And he was the Dark Lord. He knew some things about wrongness.

After the class had finished clapping at the display between Harry and Draco, Harry spoke up again. "One more thing before we start. After the last class, I was asked about a simple way to incapacitate someone who grabs you from behind, and I thought I'd show that as well. Now, I'm going to need one more volunteer, and, since this is something that most likely a woman would use to fend off a male attacker, I'll need someone who's quite a bit bigger than me."

He looked around the room for a volunteer and was just about to pick a tall, rather strapping man who was eying Harry in a way that definitely wasn't platonic, when Voldemort spoke up, smoothing down his shirt. "I could assist you, Harry."

Wide, bright green, and most definitely surprised, orbs turned on him. "You?"

He strolled over to Harry. "Why, of course. You let Daphne help, so why not me? It's not fair to let her have all of the fun." He finished standing right next to Harry, only a few inches away, and perhaps slightly too close to be strictly appropriate.

Harry swallowed and stepped away slightly. "Oh, right. Of course. Are you sure about this? It's going to hurt a bit." Voldemort just gave him a smile, and Harry nodded seemingly flustered. "Umm… Right then."

He turned resolutely back to the class in front of him. "So, this is a really easy way to fend off any undesirable who tries to attack you. Thomas, if you could stand behind me and grab me. Put me in a choke hold or something."

The Dark Lord obliged, wrapping an arm loosely around the smaller man's neck and the other around his torso. He could feel warm, toned muscles under his fingers and unconsciously pressed closer against him.

He felt Harry's adam's apple bob against his arm. "Now, watch me carefully. First, you slam you elbow back as had as you can into your attacker's solar plexus." He accompanied the words with the action, and Voldemort's breath left him in a whoosh. "Next, you stomp on their instep."

Voldemort winced, but it could have been worse, considering that Harry was currently barefoot.

"Then, since their grip on you should be loosened, bring your elbow up and slam it into his or her nose." Harry did this, albeit very gently. "And then, finally, hit them in the groin." Harry mimed this, something that Voldemort was supremely grateful for. "After that, if they aren't on the ground screaming in pain, throw them over your shoulder, like this."

Without warning, Harry grabbed his arm, jack-knifed forward, and flipped Voldemort over his shoulder. He flew through the air and then landed down on the padded mat with a rather painful thwack. Before he could get up or even move, a weight settled on top of him, and something was pressed against his neck.

Harry was straddling him, long, toned legs on either side of him, with his forearm pressed against Voldemort's windpipe. In this position, Harry's face, flushed slightly from exertion, was close to his, so close that he could see every one of his rather long eyelashes and the lighter, almost chartreuse flecks in his emerald eyes.

The brunet was still talking to the class. "At this point, you could either run away or do what I just did." Harry turned his face from the class back to Voldemort. Their faces were only inches apart. Voldemort watched, fascinated, as Harry's pupils dilated slightly and the boy's eyes flickered to his lips and then back to his eyes. The emerald-eyed boy's cheeks seemed to flush even more, and then he leaned back suddenly, getting off of Voldemort with a graceful rolling movement.

Once he was up, Harry offered him a hand, pulling him to his feet before quickly letting go of his hand. He coughed into his hand awkwardly, and said, purposely avoiding looking at Voldemort, "Well. Thank you for helping, Thomas. You can go sit back down now."

"It was a pleasure, Harry," Voldemort practically purred, grinning maniacally inwardly as Harry's cheeks turned even redder. He walked back to the bench with a jaunty step, ignoring the confused glances of Snape and Lucius. His grin broadened when he heard the squeals of some of the women in class.

He could even hear some of their whispered comments. "That was so cute! Did you see Harry's face?"

"Harry? I was more focused on tall, dark, and handsome over there. He's got to join the class."

"I know, right? I want to see more interaction between those two."

"Interaction? Is that what you call what you want to see? Because I'm pretty sure it's called snogging at the very least. At the very least."

The last comment, of course, had been spoken by Rosemary.

The Dark Lord's eyebrows rose until they were almost into his hairline. Were they talking about what he thought that they were talking about? It would be rather hard to misinterpret what they were saying. Him and Harry? Well, the idea really was preposterous, wasn't it? Sure, the man had indeed grown into a stunning young man. And by the fact that Harry blushed, combined with the dilated pupils certainly hinted to the fact that he wasn't unaware of Voldemort's charms. He glanced down at his hands and remembered the feeling of Harry's taut muscles under it. He'd have to think about this. After all, the preposterous may be preposterous, but that didn't mean it was impossible.

He leaned back and watched Harry through half-closed lids. Yes. It was definitely something to think about.

He watched as Harry's blush faded away and he started to teach the class, moving around the room, correcting gently and showing the proper way to throw and pin. He wasn't surprised how good Harry was with people. He was a natural leader, but he was kind and fair as well.

Finally, after another half hour or so, the class ended, and people began to filter out. Several of the girl's stayed behind and flirted, quite obviously, with Harry for a few minutes before giggling and giving him sly little waves as they left.

After a particularly forward blond left, the last person, Harry gave a visible shudder and walked over to them. "So, what did you guys think?"

Lucius seemed to have gotten over his complete disapproval, for the most part, and said in a stiff voice, "I suppose I could see how knowing how to defend yourself like that would come in useful."

Draco looked up. "I think it's awesome. Can I take some classes?" Yes, it was definitely disturbing how Draco seemed to forget that he was in the body of a twelve year old female.

Lucius's head snapped down to stare at his son. "No, you may not. It's undignified and barbaric. No offense meant, Harry."

"Right… Of course," Harry said slowly, turning to Snape. "What about you?"

"As interesting as that was, I believe I prefer the academic arts," came the drawling reply.

Harry turned to Voldemort expectantly, head cocked to the side questioningly.

"I found it fascinating. I think I'd like to take some classes here. You are an excellent teacher, Harry, and I'll look forward to studying under you."

For some reason, Harry's eyes widened and he looked off to the side. Before Voldemort could go back over his last sentence and find out what he had said to make Harry act like that, Harry checked his watch, and said, "I've got to go. I'm teaching yoga in ten minutes."

Voldemort nodded, and then asked, on the spur of the moment, "Any chance you'd feel like doing something after your classes?"

The look of shock on Harry's face was quickly replaced by pleasure and then regret. "I'm sorry, I can't. I have plans with Melissa."

Ah, how could he have forgotten? He felt another wave of dislike run through him. He really didn't like her. No, that was probably an understatement. He shrugged of the slight feeling of disappointment and flashed a charming smile at Harry. "Some other time perhaps then." He stood up and stretched, noticing the way that Harry's eyes followed his movements and feeling inordinately pleased by that fact.

"I'd like that. And maybe you could convince Luke to let Daphne take some classes. It would be good for her to know to defend herself. After all, she's going to grow up to be a beautiful young woman. You'll have to beat the blokes off of her with cricket bat."

Horrifyingly enough, Draco seemed to be preening slightly while everyone else was having a hard time not bursting into laughter.

Barely managing to keep a straight face, Voldemort said, "I'll see if I can convince him. Bye, Harry. I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, bye, Thomas. Luke, Sean." He turned to Draco. "Bye, Daphne. Do I get a hug?"

The look on Draco's face seemed to suggest that someone had asked him to eat a mouthful of slugs. "A… hug?"

One of Harry's eyebrows quirked upwards. "Yes, a hug. Have you ever heard of them?"

"Yes, of course I have. But I'm not going to-"

He was cut off abruptly as Harry stooped down and gave him a quick hug before mussing his hair with a huge grin. Then, before Draco could get over his shock, Harry back out of the room, waving. "Bye!" And then he was gone.

Voldemort looked down at Draco, who was stupefied, staring off into thin air and twitching sporadically.

"He… hugged me." The horror in his voice was palpable.

Voldemort chuckled. He wished he had a camera to capture the expression on his face. "Come on. Time to go."

The group of them left Balance, Lucius leading a still stupefied Draco, and the four of them ducked into the closest dark alley. Hands found shoulders and other hands and then they turned suddenly and in harmony, disapparating back to his office.

Without a word, he waved his wand over himself, Lucius, and Draco in turn.

Draco immediately rushed over to the mirror and kissed his reflection repeatedly, muttering things that Voldemort was glad he couldn't hear.

He flicked his hand dismissively towards the door. "Leave me. Gather your thoughts about what you've just seen and then tell me later," he ordered.

Draco and Lucius left immediately, bowing their ways out, but Severus hesitated by the door.

"What is it?" Voldemort asked, looking up from his desk.

"My lord… What exactly do you intend towards Potter?"

He frowned. "What do you mean, Severus?"

"I mean… It was quite obvious that there was an attraction between…" he stopped and pressed his lips firmly together into a line. "Never mind, my lord." Then he gave a jerky bow and swept from the room.

Voldemort stared at the empty entrance of the room. Snape had seemed almost embarrassed. That was a sight he'd never seen before. And what exactly did Snape mean?

He leaned back in his leather chair and pressed his fingers together in the signature evil mastermind pose of villains everywhere. He could think about that later. For now, he had someone else to think about. A certain green eyed boy…

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><p>'Ello, my lovelies... Wow. That was creepy even to write. Moving on. It's been a while since I posted the last chapter, but I was out of town, and by out of town I mean at a place with no internet. But, I'm back now! Do you know what that means? More Harry Potter goodness! And random perverted acts, of course. I mean, you can't have a good story without random perverted acts, now can you? No, you can't. And I've come to realize that I'm babbling. So, I just have one more thing to say before I start replying to my wondrous reviews, and that would be this... I BROKE ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS! HELL YES! I DIDN'T EVEN THINK THAT WOULD HAPPEN, BUT IT DID AND IT'S COMPLETELY AWESOME! *cough cough* And, what's more, it's all because of you guys. So, thank you. And special thanks to one very special reviewer who put me into triple digits... Mystia Katsuragi. Thank you.<p>

Ja ne,

_Rumer Hasit_

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><p><strong>olciak123:<strong> Yep. Deeper and deeper into Harry's new, non-magical, life. But you say you're still waiting for more? Well, a whole heck of a lot is planned to happen in the very next chapter. And I mean a LOT. If you've been waiting for something big to happen, I think you won't be disappointed. Have I peaked your interest yet?

**Izara Sprightly of Redmont:** You are... completely awesome. Will you marry me? Just joking... But, all jokes aside, you are awesome. The omakes are wonderful. I don't know the last time that I enjoyed a story so much. It's actually been a while. Thank you for writing the omakes. It made my day when I read them.

**krysania:** Pure greatness? Well, thank you. I can't say I disagree... Oops. My ego seems to be getting rather large. But I am glad that you enjoyed the chapter so much. Hopefully, it made you laugh. And as for Draco... he is far too at home in a young female's body.

**itachisgurl93:** Yeah, I love a (mostly) sane Dark Lord as well. I don't think I can call him sane entirely... I'm not sure I can say that about myself. But, I'm getting off topic. I'm very happy to know that you liked the last chapter. Do you like this one, too?

**bluetoads:** I always wondered why Harry never told the wizarding world to piss off, too. But at least there are fanfictions, where I can make the characters bend to my will... Please ignore the fact I sounded mildly unhinged there. Glad you approve of the whole gym/bookstore thing, too. And, yes, Draco is EVIL! He's my favorite evil git, though.

**Fireotaku18:** I know. Draco shouldn't be anywhere near that comfortable in women's clothing. It's rather disturbing. But funny. And as for the whole Voldemort and Harry and martial arts... Well, you saw what happened. What did you think?

**noelnoel2**: Well, I do apologize that this wasn't as quite of an update, but the chapter is quite a bit longer, so it should make up for that fact. And you got to see Voldemort's reactions to the women in Harry's class. As for Draco... I don't even know what to say about him. He did participate in the class, but he seemed to enjoy it. I think he has underlying issues. Or maybe one too many crucios fried part of his brain...

**Barranca:** Poor, poor Harry. If only he knew that Thomas was Voldemort... I imagine he would be quite disturbed. But, maybe he'll find out shortly. I can only imagine his reaction. And, yes, Draco really is evil. I admire him for it. Thank you for reviewing!

**IkutoisSmexy:** Thank you very much for the positive review. I only regret that I didn't update sooner. But, I hope the contents of this chapter is enough to make up for it's late arrival.

**sasunaru2themax:** You love it? Well, thank you. That's very nice to hear. And I shall continue writing this story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**LittleCatZ:** The first line of your review made me grin like an idiot, I'm afraid. I'm very happy to hear (or would it be read?) that you like how I've portrayed Harry in this story. And as for Ron and his possible git-ness... He's not a complete git. But he has his definite moments of git-ness. I'm afraid I never looked at him the same way after The Goblet of Fire. He was a total tosspot there. And, yes, Neville is completely awesome. I need to get him in the story soon...

**Rainbow lesbian lover:** Glad to know that you love it. And as for "Daphne"... She/he's a piece of work, isn't she/he?

**RRW:** Yes, Draco plays the brat to a tee. But is he really playing? I think he might actually be like that. And as for the women joining Harry's self-defense classes... I think you were absolutely right.

**The Exorcist Witch Queen:** You will indeed see Melissa getting bitchier. That should come up in the next chapter. I'm glad you liked the whole "balance" thing between the books and dojo. I think Hermione might have had an influence in that, though. Quite a few women are there to ogle Harry, but I don't suppose they mind getting pinned down by him, either. And as for Harry's hotness... Erm... I suppose?

**Reader-anonymous:** I'm not really sure I created Melissa to be liked. I mean, I made Voldemort likable, so someone has to be slightly unlikable, even if you understand why she's like that. I agree with you, though. Snape and Luna are both completely and entirely awesome. They're just... them. And, yes, we both love our internet. It's just sad when I have to leave it. Oh, and when you post up a story of your own, tell me. I'd like to see it. So, did you go into fantasy withdrawal?

**Q3APo:** It's always funny when the maim character doesn't realize what feelings he may have when every female within a kilometer radius does. Females just seem to have a sixth sense about that sort of thing, though. But, anyways, thank you very much for reading my story. I appreciate it.

**hyper active pixie:** Shoot! I didn't even think about having Draco whine for someone to carry him. I should have done that. Who would have carried him, though? Not Snape. And I'm fairly certain Draco would rather crucio himself than ask the Dark Lord to carry him. And his father was carrying the books... And that leaves Harry. Uh oh. That wouldn't do.

**mountain ash**: Ah! Thank you, thank you, and thank you. I wanted Harry to be able to defend himself without the use of a wand, since he disconnected himself from the wizarding world. I don't think Voldemort will take his entourage every time that he goes and visits Harry. They'll have some private time soon enough, I think. Thank you for reviewing!

**Nasyki:** Parallels between your life and Harry's? Do tell. And as for Harry's defense class, it's not so much a single style type or sport, but an amalgamation of techniques from different styles that would be useful for people who aren't particularly strong to defend themselves. And, no, I don't think it would be UFC style of fighting... no where near that. And, while Harry didn't use kata gatame on Voldemort, he still pinned him down. I should have had him do an O Goshi, though. Maybe he did? I mean, I wasn't that specific. And as for you asking what style I took, do you mean which I have Harry doing in the story, or what I do personally?

**sousie:** Yes, poor Voldemort indeed. Wait a second. What am I saying? Poor Harry! It's his life that's going to get turned upside down and sideways!

**disneypenguin:** Great for a laugh? That's exactly what I want to hear. And you love it? Even better. I agree with you about a disguised-as-a-female Draco. It's pretty cool... and disturbing. And as for romance between Harry and Voldemort... It will continue!

**Dodgey33:** Aww... You love it? Thank you so much for telling me that. It makes me grin like an unstable lunatic. Or do I always look like that? Never mind. Moving on. Yes, Harry is awesome, and Draco is far too comfy as a girl. And it's an even better complement that you think I made Harry better than the original. So, thank you. And I shall most definitely keep writing as long as you keep reading.

**Ivy:** Well, I am sorry that you don't like the fact that I respond to the wonderful people who review my story, but you don't have to read if it annoys you so much. It's just that they are the reason that I write the story, and I want to thank them and reply to any questions they may have.

**Bright-down:** Whoooooooooo! What a nice way to start a review. It gives it a certain energy, doesn't it? And thank you very much for saying what you did about the humor and descriptions. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

**Isys Skeeter:** I'm glad you liked what Draco did. He was a perfect little brat, wasn't he? And I think he's probably going to get punished by his father. You might be right about Voldemort being more of a politician than manager, though.

**Ashlynn LionHart:** Umm... Thank you. I did really want to do one from the Dark Lord's point of view, and have him not be insane and killing everything that moved, as you pointed out. And it made me smile to see that you thought the story is a delight. Thank you.

**Bookits:** Voldemort Vs. Melissa... Yeah. She doesn't stand a chance, does she? And I'm very glad you hear that you like my version of Harry. It seems like a lot of people do. Thank you.

**daemonkieran:** Delightful? What a nice thing to say. And, yes, Draco as Daphne is wonderfully bratty. I rather like him like that.

**Melikalilly:** Good? Thank you. I hope it is, and I appreciate that you think so. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

**Shannon the Original:** Well, I am sorry that I didn't update sooner, but there were what I think were extenuating circumstances. Thankfully, I can post now, though, and I hope you like it.

**Mystia Katsuragi:** I love the whole Draco/Daphne and Thomas/Voldemort, too. It's so much fun to write. And you know what? When you went back and reviewed for chapter four, you actually gave me my 100th review. THANK YOU!

**SoulMore:** You're a fan? Well, that just warms my heart. It always makes me happy to hear that. So, thank you very much.

**Magic Dobby:** I know. I kept thinking about how if Harry spent all of his time in a bookshop, he might be a little out of shape, plus just being a bookworm didn't seem to mesh with his personality quite right, so he became a martial arts instructor, too. Oh, and one more thing... I really like your username. It's awesome.

**crobhdearg:** You like it? Good. And I'm glad that you're looking forward to more of Harry and "Thomas", because there will be a lot more of the two of them. Thank you for reviewing.

**IchigoRenji:** I know. The whole martial arts thing was sort of out of nowhere, but I think it fits with Harry and it works with the whole life in balance thing as well. Plus, it keeps him fit. And I will most definitely keep up the "good work" as you put it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

**gypsydancer529:** Loving it? I couldn't ask for a better thing to hear in a review. And that you ranked my story among the few good Harry/Voldemort stories. And my story made you laugh? Even better! I hope this update was soon enough for you and that you laughed more during this chapter.

**Shadow Kitsune67:** I'm very glad that you like it and think that it's amusing. That is rather what I'm going for when I write it. Thank you for reviewing.


	7. Sudden Slip

**!*!*! ATTENTION ... দৃষ্টি আকর্ষণ করছি ... ATENCIÓN !*!***

**Disclaimer:** One way that you know I didn't write Harry Potter is that I was too young to read or write when it was written. And, as I haven't been able to acquire a time-turner as of yet, I can't go back in time and write it before J.K Rowling. So, let's recap. It's not mine, and enjoy reading my fanfic.

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><p>Voldemort walked towards the book store with a slight spring in his step, Lucius, Draco, and Severus trailing several feet behind him. He would have preferred to see Harry alone, but Harry had grown fond, actually fond, of Draco, and it didn't seem to make sense to bring Draco, or Daphne as Harry knew him, without bringing Lucius. And if those two were coming, he might as well have Snape come as well.<p>

He entered the shop, turning immediately towards the front desk where Harry would be sitting.

Only he wasn't.

Voldemort came to an abrupt halt and stared at the seated figure of Melissa. Over the past couple of weeks that he'd been visiting Harry, Melissa and he had come to an understanding. They mutually loathed each other. Yes. They absolutely loathed every detail about the other, but they were nothing but polite to each other when in Harry's company, since being unpleasant to each other would only lower Harry's opinion of them both.

Finally noticing that Voldemort that there, Melissa's hazel eyes landed on him with annoyance. "You again."

It really was so temping to curse her into oblivion sometimes.

"Yes, me again. Where is Harry?"

"He's not here."

He sneered at her. "I would have thought that was obvious since I don't see him, but I asked where he was."

"I don't know. He just called and said that he wasn't coming in. Okay?" she snapped, standing up and glaring at him.

The Dark Lord blinked. This was more than her usual belligerence. She actually seemed worried, and, since the topic was about Harry, that could only mean that she was worried about Harry. He felt a prickle of unease flash through him. "What's wrong with Harry?"

"Nothing," she said, avoiding his eyes and carefully stacking some books.

He crossed his arms over his chest and waited, silently, for her to crack.

She did in no time at all. "He just… sounded funny when he called in this morning. And not in a good way."

Voldemort nodded and did a neat about-face, walking out of the store. If Melissa had one redeeming quality that Voldemort didn't feel like cursing her for, it was that she actually honestly did care about Harry. No, scratch that. He wanted to curse her for that, too.

Severus's silky voice spoke from his side. "My lord? Is something wrong with Potter? Can you tell through your connection?"

Voldemort didn't answer him, but, as he walked down the street to Balance, he reached out with his mind, trying to grasp the intangible bond that was his mental link with the Boy-Who-Lived. It was so faint, and fading more and more everyday. Now, even if he tried, he could only feel emotions. None of the other's thoughts or visions entered his mind anymore. As he probed and grasped, a wave of emotion flowed over him, and he didn't like what he felt. Sorrow and melancholy were the two overwhelming emotions, tinged with anger and acceptance.

He shook his head firmly, trying to banish the unwelcome feelings. What could be making Harry feel like that? Oddly enough, he didn't like it. He didn't like the thought that the boy was feeling this way.

He pushed it out of his mind as he crossed the threshold into Balance.

The same buxom, bleached-blonde, curly haired woman who had been sitting behind the desk the first time he had gone there with Harry was still there, talking into the phone at a pace he hadn't imagined possible. Surprisingly, and although she was mildly annoying, he didn't mind her. That might have had something to do with the fact that she seemed to approve of him, for some reason. And it didn't hurt that it was hilarious to watch Draco's reactions when the woman tried to pinch his cheeks and coo over him.

As soon as she saw him, she said into her phone, to the person she was talking to, "I'm sorry, you're boring and irritating, and I have much better looking people to talk with."

A shriek and several unintelligible words came over the phone, and the woman replied, "No, I know that I can't see what you look like, but, judging by your voice and attitude, you're short, scrawny, bad-tempered, and look like a balding hyena…. What? Speechless? I must have guess right. Have a good day now." And, with that, she hung up the phone.

Yes, he really didn't mind her, although was she allowed to answer phones like that?

She beamed up at him. "Hello! Looking for Harry?"

He nodded, turning on the charm with a smile. "Yes, I am. Would you happen to know where he is?"

She tapped a pink and sparkly pencil against her painted lips in thought. "I don't know for sure, but, if I took a guess, I'd say he's at his apartment. It's funny, though… the same thing happened last year."

He jumped at the chance for information. "What exactly happened?" he inquired with just the right amount of polite inquiry in his voice.

"Last year, on the same day, he called and said he couldn't come in. He sounded…"

"Funny?" Voldemort supplied.

She nodded. "Yeah. That describes it." He opened his mouth to ask a question, but she beat him to it. "You want to know where he lives?"

He blinked. She was actually going to offer up the information? Without him having to either coerce, charm, or magic her into doing it? Well, that was nice, if a bit boring. He nodded.

"260 Popham Street. He's in apartment eight."

"Thank you."

She waved his thanks aside. "Just go see what's bugging him. He's too cute to be sad or whatever's wrong with him. I'm sure your good-looking mug will cheer him up." Leaving him to digest that, she turned to Draco, practically cooed. "And how are you today, Sweetie?"

Draco shot her a look of deep disdain and turned his nose up at her.

"Aww… You're so cute!"

He glared at her. "I am not cute. I am handsome and gorgeous and beautiful in a manly way!"

Voldemort felt like smacking someone, and Lucious actually smacked himself in the forehead while Snape rolled his eyes. Draco had apparently forgotten that he was in the guise of a young girl, and saying that he was beautiful in a manly way, while looking like that, sounded so incredibly wrong.

The blonde receptionist looked up at Lucious. "I think your little sister has gender confusion issues."

Voldemort had started to wonder about that as well, but in the opposite direction. Draco was just too at home being a girl.

While Draco tried to avoid being hugged by the woman, Voldemort watched with amusement. It really was fun to see Draco try and avoid getting his cheeks pinched. He was fairly certain that the blonde young man would rather be put under the cruciatus curse. Then, with an imperial nod of his head, he said, "Come on." And the three men followed him out the door, Draco looked relieved at getting away from the blonde secretary.

Voldemort walked to Harry's lodgings, glad that they were only a few blocks away. For some reason, he felt… worried. That in itself was odd. He couldn't remember the last time that he was worried about someone other than himself. He frowned. Maybe it wasn't his own worry, but some seeping over the link from Potter. Yes, that made more sense.

Once they reached Popham Street, he looked up at the street numbers, enchanted green eyes searching for the numbers 260.

Severus found them first, and nodded his head towards the building smoothly. "There, my lord."

The building was tall and old fashioned, with slightly peeling white paint and little, carved stone balconies jutting out under the larger paned windows. Without pause, he mounted the slightly crumbling brick stairs and pushed open the front door. The inside felt the same feeling as the outside, the feeling that it was slowly going to seed but was still well loved. Gleaming shoes tracked across a worn brown carpet, making little puffs of dust appear in their wake.

Three pairs of footsteps followed him, and he could hear Draco's high pitched voice complain, "Potter lives here? I suppose I shouldn't have expected any better…"

They continued up the stairs, which creaked in a rather worrisome way, passing apartments as the spiral staircase rose through the building. Then, Voldemort stopped directly in front of a cream colored door with a brass, "8" in the middle of it. He paused for a split second, and then brought his fist down on the door, rapping bony knuckles on the hard wood. There was no answer. Just as he was about to try again, there was noise from within the apartment. He stilled.

"Okay, okay! I'm coming. Just hold on a minute," a familiar voice yelled. The door opened, and he continued, "Jeez, Hermi-" He stopped mid-sentence and stared at his visitors with undisguised shock.

The Dark Lord was taking in the sight in front of him with just as much interest, but much less shock. The boy's hair was even more wild than usual, sticking up in every direction, and he wore a pair of grey sweatpants and a dull green T-shirt that was several times too large for him and hanging off one shoulder. Even though he was busy studying Harry, he hadn't missed what Harry had been about to say. Hermione. Hadn't that been his muggleborn friend? And why was he expecting her?

Brilliant green eyes blinked at him. "Tom?"

Now Voldemort did a double take. "Did you just call me 'Tom'"? He tensed. Had Harry somehow found out who he was? No, that didn't make any sense. He would be trying to kill him if he knew who he was.

To his surprise, Harry flushed slightly. "Oh…Erm… It's just that your name is Thomas, and… Can I call you Tom?"

He considered it, enjoying watching Harry shift nervously while he debated it. Finally, he nodded. "Yes, you may." It almost made it seem like he knew who he was, calling him by his real name.

Harry flashed him a smile. "Good." Then, he frowned. "Right. Good… But what are you all doing here?"

Voldemort glanced behind him. He had almost forgotten that Lucius, Draco, and Severus had accompanied him. Lucius's face was unreadable. Draco was frowning at Harry's hair, probably wishing that he had a comb and hair gel, and Snape was watching Voldemort and Harry's interaction rather intently. He turned back to the emerald eyed boy, who was waiting for an answer.

"I – we were worried about you. Melissa," he said, just refraining from hissing the name, "told us that you called in sick or something, and then you weren't at Balance, either."

"Yes, but how did you get my address?"

He grinned at Harry. "Magic."

Harry's eyes widened, and then he laughed rather woodenly when he realized that it was a joke. "Funny. But I'm fine. See?" he said, gesturing towards himself.

"I think you look sad," came Draco's voice.

He internally smirked at the seeming innocence in which Draco had uttered that remark. "Yes, Harry. Didn't you hear Daphne? She thinks you look sad. So, I don't think we can go until you've proven to her that you're perfectly okay. Are you going to let us in?"

Harry was gaping at him, mouth opening and closing without any sound coming out. It was actually quite cute.

The Dark Lord made an "tsking" sound and swept past him into the apartment. "Manners, Harry."

Severus, Lucius, and Draco stepped past Harry into the apartment.

He did a quick sweep of the room. First off, it was much neater than he expected, with warm, honey-toned wooden floors and white plaster walls. Squishy-looking green furniture was set in front of a large fire place. Paintings and pictures covered one wall in a patch work of images and another wall was covered almost entirely with shelves of books. The place had a certain feeling about it. It felt homey.

Harry was still standing at the door, one hand on the handle. "What…" He shook his head as if confused by what had just occurred, namely his apartment getting overrun by people. With a sigh, he shut the door and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You all… aren't going to go, are you?"

Before Voldemort could say anything, Draco piped up again, putting his disguise to good use.

Baby blue eyes focused on Harry and seemed to glisten with unshed tears. Pink lips trembled. "You… don't want us here? You don't like us?" he asked, something that sounded like a sob entering his soft voice.

Voldemort had to hand it to him. The boy really did have acting skills.

Harry proceeded to freak out slightly himself and try and calm down Draco, who was most likely enjoying the charade. "No! I didn't mean it like that, Daphne! Of course I like you," Harry immediately protested, kneeling down in front of Draco. "It's just that this isn't the best time. That's all."

Draco hid his face in his hands. "You don't like me!" he said in a muffled voice, and his shoulders started to shake. Probably from laughter. But it had the desired effect, and Potter looked more upset than before.

"What? I told you! I do like you! I swear!"

Draco looked up suddenly, face serious. "Luke says it's bad to swear."

"I – Um… What?" Harry asked, at a loss for words at the sudden switch of mood.

There was a stifled sound which was probably Severus and Lucius trying not to laugh.

Draco stepped forward and jabbed a finger into the confused brunet's chest. "Well, if you do like me, then tell me why you don't want us here. And don't lie! Lying is bad."

Harry looked towards Lucius for support, but the man ignored him. Then he looked towards Voldemort, who only sent him a smile.

The moment Harry had turned away, Draco smirked. Then, Harry turned back to him and the blonde's expression melted back into one of upset innocence. Yes, Draco was enjoying this far too much.

"I… Today marks the date of something, that's all," Harry finally said in a strained voice.

"More," Draco demanded promptly.

Harry plopped down on the couch and frowned at Draco. "You're greedy. Fine… I moved here two years ago. Two years ago, I left my old life behind and started a new one."

And, with that simple sentence, everything clicked into place. Voldemort took a seat next to Harry. It made sense. While he hadn't known the exact date, it was now extremely close to the time of year when Harry had disappeared from the wizarding world, leaving them at his mercy. And today was apparently the day when he mourned the world he had left behind.

Harry was still talking, words coming fast and almost spilling out, as if he had wanted to talk about it for an age. "It wasn't that it was a bad life, even if it wasn't easy. It was good. I had people who cared about me and loved me, but… I was sort of important."

That was an understatement.

"People expected me to do certain things and to be who they needed me to be. And I was. I did that for years… But there came a point when I just wanted to be myself. That life, though, the life I left behind... Bloody hell… I miss it." He turned his head to the side suddenly and looked at Draco, saying abruptly, "You remind me of one of the people who I knew."

Draco swallowed nervously and said in a high-pitched voice, "Really?"

Harry nodded, apparently oblivious to the nervousness of the other. "Yeah, you do. Only he was a boy. He hated me, actually, but I suppose some of that was my fault. The first friend I made hated his guts, and I never even gave Malfoy a chance. Not that I'm saying he wasn't a git or anything, because he was. He was a complete prat. It's just that… we actually had a lot in common. I think we would have been friends. Could have been." His voice lowered, and he almost seemed to be talking to himself. "I wonder what would have happened if I'd shaken his hand… I wish I had."

There was silence in the room until Draco broke it. "Potter… Do you mean that?"

And then everyone realized what he had said. He'd called him Potter. Not Evans.

Harry was on his feet before anyone else could even move, and suddenly there was a wand in his hand, pointed at them. There was no trace of the boy who worked in a book shop or taught yoga now. In their place was a hardened warrior. Piercing eyes were narrowed, and his jaw was clenched, whole body tensed.

"Who are you?" he snarled.

Voldemort shot a deathly glare at a cowering Draco before turning back to the wary wizard. If Potter didn't kill Draco, Voldemort was going to. He eyed the unwavering wand currently pointed at his face with disfavor and considered his options. What to do…

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><p>Sorry it's been so long since the last chapter. And I don't even have an excuse for it other than the fact that I've just been busy. How boring. I should at least be able to say that I didn't write because I got abducted by 3 meter tall, scaly aliens with piercings. Instead, all I can say is that I've been helping someone study, studying myself, and that I've started training to be a bar-tender. Moving on. A lot happened in this chapter, didn't it? And it's all Draco's fault. Poor guy. Voldemort's totally going to go Dark Lord on his ass. But he won't kill him... probably. Maybe. We'll see. Now, here's the question. Does Voldemort lie again or tell the truth? What do you think is going to happen?<p>

Ja ne,

_Rumer Hasit_

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><p><strong>Shannon the Original:<strong> Thank you. I'm glad that you enjoyed it.

**Fireotaku18:** Ah. Are you drooling over that scene in Balance where Harry's practically straddling Voldemort? I thought you all might enjoy that little piece. This chapter doesn't have much of that, but there will be more of it. Fear not.

**gypsydancer529:** My story made you howl with laughter? What a wonderful compliment. And once Voldemort finally realizes that he likes Harry, I mean really likes him, I think he's going to pursue Harry with everything he's got. It's going to be great. As for the fan-girls... I love them. Fan-girls are a necessity.

**Janelly Slytherin:** I know. I made Draco hug-able. What's the world coming to? I find that I rather like writing him as a girl, though. It's amusing, and it fits him a little too well... Glad you liked the attraction between Harry and the Dark Lord, too.

**Liz:** Wow. Thank you. Thank you very much, Liz. I've read quite a few Harry/Voldemort fanfictions, and for you to say that this is one of the best... Thank you.

**Barranca**: Exactly. Harry doesn't seem to have any problem with "Thomas" hanging around. But how is he going to feel when he realizes who it really is?

**Angelic Abomination:** I'm not sure Voldemort could be careful enough to have Harry not freak out when he finds out that his "Thomas" is really Voldemort. I mean, is there really an easy way to explain that? And, yes. Severus did notice the sparks between his lord and Harry. He's just sharp like that. I'm not sure whether he's for it or against it, though.

**Melikalilly:** Thank you. It's nice know that you like it and think it's good. Thank you for reviewing.

**xDarklightx:** Well, I'm glad that you like it, but I do apologize for not getting a chapter up sooner. But, hopefully the actions in this chapter made up for its late coming.

**krysania:** Funny and hot and amazing? What wonderful adjectives to describe my story. Nice to know you feel that way. Thank you for your review. It brought a smile to my face.

**Gemini Peverell:** Thanks! Sorry this one took so long, but I do hope you enjoy it.

**IkutoisSmexy:** You loved it? Wonderful. And of course Draco would want to manhandle Harry. I really did love writing that section. So much fun to write...

**TinksVamps:** Well, here's Draco as a little girl again, being his adorable, bratty self. This time he's using his adorableness to manipulate Harry. I'm glad you like my characters and how I portray them, too. I know that you want to see some lemony goodness, but it might be a little. I like to build up to a relationship through time and tons of sexual tension!

**Reshmi Solaris:** More please, you say? Well, here you go.

**sousie:** You know what? I kept thinking about your suggestion about another male, one who opened the dojo, and the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. I even liked how you thought the character should be. So, thank you for that. I think that he'll be appearing in a few chapters.

**Zana20:** Yeah, I'm not too sure about the importance of muggleborns and all of that, but the books seemed to put some emphasis on it, or at least that's how it seemed to me. And I'm glad that you liked the chapters. Thanks, and it's nice to know that you think I'm a brilliant writer.

**elfinmyth:** Thank you very much for the compliments. And being a twelve year old... Yes. Draco is way too comfortable being a girl. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter.

**itachisgurl93:** Yes! I did get that one piece from Miss Congeniality. Points to you for catching that. I fell across the movie while channel surfing when it was on that part and I thought it was pretty cool.

**olciak123:** I wanted to have some self defense information in that chapter, but I thought it would be a little boring if it was only that... so I added fan-girls and flirting. Glad you liked it, though. And as for who studying under whom... I have no idea...

**Mystia Katsuragi:** I think Voldemort should take some of Harry's classes, and so should Draco... as Daphne of course. But, yes, I do like the idea of him taking classes. And, yes, it was awesome how you were the 100th reviewer. Magical? Maybe. Awesome? Definitely. Thanks for reviewing.

**Kathrin J Pearl:** The attraction was palpable through the computer screen? Really? Well, then. I'll take it that I did a good job then. I hope you liked it.

**shadow haunt:** Creepy in a funny sort of way? I'll take that as a compliment. And thank you for the review.

**RRW:** It think that you're right. There would definitely be a waiting list to get into a class like that. I think I started choking with laughter when I read the part about Draco entering Rupaul's Drag Race. Question, though. What does your username stand for?

**sasunaru2themax:** Thank you. It's nice to know that someone thinks that my story is brilliant.

**Isys Skeeter:** Yeah... Well, I'm not entirely sure that Voldemort has a lot of experience with love. I think he'll notice soon. Or I hope he will. And as for Draco kissing his own reflection... It just suits him.

**Izara Sprightly of Redmont:** Gosh. You are just... awesome. I love reading your omakes. Thank you for writing them.

**AuroreD-92:** I know, Draco's just... Draco. I'm not sure there are any words to describe him. He is one of my favorite characters, though. I loved writing him manipulating Harry in this chapter.

**JoeCool989:** You're attached to my story? I don't think anyone's actually said that before, and I was kind of happy to know that you are. I am really sorry that I haven't updated sooner, though, and I hope that you enjoy this chapter. Thank you for reviewing.

**Darklight-phoenix:** Yep. Draco as a girl. I'm just happy that it could make you smile.

**Jessica:** Thank you for the positive review. I hope you liked this chapter.

**Moonraven81:** So you like how I'm portraying Draco, Harry, and Voldemort? Good. Oh, and there will be more information about why Harry left later.

**Peltra:** No... I don't think Harry knows. I mean, it's not that he's stupid or anything, but... Would you think that it was your mortal enemy who you haven't seen in two years when a handsome man walked into the place where you work and introduced himself?

**Kitty Nekkyo:** Draco is back! As a girl again! Muahahaha... He totally fits being a girl... which is slightly disturbing. As for the fan-girls... Heck, yeah.

**iwishtheskywasgreen:** Thank you!

**AP Mom:** Cute? Well, muchas gracias, mi amiga. And I do try to make it humorous and interesting. Glad you think my version of Harry's... "hot", too.

**jieha:** Loving the story? Good. And I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.


	8. The Tumultuous Truth

**!*!* ATTENTION ... ಗಮನ ... CULTUS !*!*!**

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, and to my great dismay, I don't own any part of Harry Potter. I thought I did... but then I woke up. It was just a dream. But, I can still write this fanfiction... and twist the characters to my will. Muahahahaha...

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><p>Voldemort held out his hands, palms out, in the universal gesture of peace. "Now, Harry… Put down the wand. I can explain everything," he said in a soothing voice.<p>

Internally, he wasn't nearly so calm. Curse Draco! He was going to crucio the boy until he couldn't even remember his own name, his nerves were on fire, and he knew nothing but pain. But planning that didn't help at the moment. How was he going to get out of this? There was no way that he could deny being a wizard, or at least connection somehow with the wizarding world, and Harry was highly suspicious now that he knew they had all lied. So, whatever story he told would have to be a good one.

While he was thinking, Draco asked in an almost perfectly innocent and confused voice, "Harry, why are you pointing a stick at us?"

It was good try, but Harry's arm didn't waver and his expression darkened even further. "Don't even try it."

Then, something in his warped, but undeniably brilliant, mind clicked. He knew what to do. And, with luck, something that he didn't like to rely on, it would work. Harry's wand still hadn't moved.

Voldemort repeated inthe same soothing voice. "Put down the wand."

Harry laughed, but it was harsh and cold. "Put down my wand? Not a chance. Now, who are you?" he asked again, words inflexible and demanding.

Voldemort sighed, dropping his hands. "Harry… I'm sorry. I didn't lie to you, though. My name is Thomas Deldir, and these are my friends. I just… didn't tell you that I knew who you were. You wouldn't have believed my surprise when I walked into that bookstore and saw you! I'd seen you in the papers so many times… and there you were. But you said that your name was Harry Evans, and I knew that you didn't want – that you didn't want to be Harry Potter anymore, so I just… pretended that I didn't know who you were," the Dark Lord said, sounded earnest and apologetic and slightly pleading. "I was so stunned. And then we became friends, and I didn't know how to tell you that I was a wizard, too. I thought you might leave or something. You did leave the wizarding world. I just wasn't sure what to do, so I told my friends. But I swear we're the only ones who know about you. We haven't told anyone else."

Even though it was all a complete pile of lies, the words rang true. He kept his facial muscles schooled into an expression of apology, even when he saw Harry lowering his wand slowly.

"Really?" Harry asked, his face neutral.

Voldemort nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you the truth. But there it is…"

Harry nodded, and Voldemort resisted the urge to grin, evilly of course. Gryffindors were always so trusting. Of course, the story actually held together for the most part. Behind him, he could almost feel Draco, Lucius, and Severus relaxing slightly.

"So… Did you go to Hogwarts?" Harry asked, peering at him intently.

Okay, maybe he was still a little suspicious.

Voldemort nodded. "I did. I was a few years ahead of you." Well, that wasn't a lie. Only he was several decades ahead of him.

Harry nodded again. "Okay… I guess that makes sense. You just recognized me from the papers and wanted to talk."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed. Something was off. Potter was taking it all far too calmly, almost disconnected, calculating.

Harry looked up. "If that's the truth, then I'm sure you won't mind this." His wand was up suddenly, pointed at them. "Finite Incantatem!"

Before he could do anything about it, Voldemort felt his disguise melting away, back to his Riddle looks. From the sounds behind him, Harry's spell had undone all of the appearance modifications on them as well. Voldemort glanced up, only to meet Harry's eyes.

"Riddle," he said simply, sounding absolutely flabbergasted. Green orbs were wide with confusion and surprise. And then they narrowed with anger, and the holly wand came up again, ready to channel the magic of its wielder.

Voldemort threw himself to the side as a beam of red light sped towards him. He connected with the floor and let his momentum carry him, rolling over and then back to his feet. He took in the scene before him. Potter was… beautiful. As soon as the thought came into his mind, he cast it out with a grimace, but he did admire the sight before him.

Harry was whirling, eyes flashing. Hands flicked and swished and thrust the wand as if it was merely an extension of his arm instead of a tool. He didn't have the precise, almost inhuman, grace that he himself possessed, but he did have his own grace. It was wild and powerful and somehow slightly savage. Colored streaks of lights flew furiously from his wand, arm blurring with the speed and fluidity of his movements. Snape, Lucius, and Draco were having trouble defending themselves.

In quick succession, Voldemort cast an Incendio, a Reducto, and an Expulso towards Harry.

The green-eyed boy flicked his wand, deflecting the first one, and then dodged the next two.

While he was busy, Voldemort nodded briskly to Snape and then turned on his heel, disapparating from the apartment. He materialized back into his office, stumbling slightly, and quickly steadied himself.

The deception was over. Harry knew who he was. Rage filled him. That was not how it was supposed to go! A second later, his desk was on fire, blue flames licking at the wood hungrily, and deep slashes cut into the walls.

There was a pop, and then three other figures appeared. Lucius was seething. Part of his hair was scorched. Snape was expressionless, eyes fixed the Dark Lord, and Draco seemed to be hiding behind the two older men.

"That insolent-" Lucius started and then cut off abruptly when he saw the expression on his lord's face. He fell to his knee, head bowed. "My lord…" Voldemort had schooled his expression into one of careful blankness. Lucius had been with him long enough to know that more often than not, the more controlled he was, the more furious he was.

"Lucius, Severus, leave us please. I would like to have a talk with Draco," he said, voice calm.

Lucius 's face paled, but he got to his feet stiffly and nodded. "Yes, my lord." He looked like he wanted to add something else, to ask him to spare his son the punishment, but he didn't. It would be a waste of words. Then, without looking at his son, he walked to the door.

Snape followed him. Both men paused before they left the room, but they did, and the door shut with a soft click that somehow managed to be sinister.

Voldemort turned his attention to the single figure left standing before him. Or perhaps cringing would have been more apt. "Draco…"

Draco flinched at the sound of his name. His pale hair was mussed, fine strands flopping over his forehead in disarray, and there was a smudge of something dark on his cheek, made even darker in contrast to the pallor of his skin. Grey eyes were wide with terror. "Yes, my lord?" he asked, voice cracking. He kept his eyes fixed firmly on the ground.

Voldemort knew how he must look, like a demon, with the fire from the desk still flickering wildly behind him and the ruins of the room around him. "Draco… Do you think I wanted Harry Potter to find out who we were?" he asked, tone light and almost conversational.

"N-no..."

"Then, it does make me wonder, why you let him know?"

Draco swallowed nervously. "I didn't mean to. That is, I mean to say… He surprised me. I thought he hated me, and when I heard him say all of that, I couldn't believe it – that he actually meant it. We hated each other. Or at least I thought we did… and I forgot myself. I apologize, my lord."

He had to hand it to him, the young Malfoy was keeping himself together much better than he thought he would. His voice was almost steady, even if his hands were trembling. "Is that an excuse? Do you remember how I feel about excuses?" The Dark Lord asked, fiddling idly with his wand.

"It's not an excuse, my lord. I understand that I… messed up."

"Yes, Draco. You messed up, as you put it. I told you not to let Potter know who you were, and you failed," Voldemort said, voice suddenly icy. "And I don't allow failure without punishment… Crucio!"

Draco collapsed onto the ground, back arching in pain, jaw clenched tightly to stop himself from screaming.

Voldemort watched him writhe in pain dispassionately. "Scream."

And Draco did, letting loose a howl of agony. The screams rang around the room, echoing, filling with wretchedness and was no beginning to the screams, no end; they merged together one unending, piercing, scream, growing hoarser as they went on.

With a flick of his wrist, Voldemort ended the curse and watched Draco, still twitching, on the ground. "Leave," he ordered, turning away and focusing on the flaming desk.

There was a shaky intake of breath from behind him and then the rustle of clothing as Draco got up off of the floor. "Y-yes, my lord."

As he heard quick, unstable footsteps head towards the door, he ordered, "And send in Ms. Lovegood."

"Of course… thank you, my lord." And then the door shut.

Someone else, someone not used to the Dark Lord, would wonder why he was being thanked. Voldemort had gone easy on him, and he knew it. He had only held the curse for a dozen or so seconds, and he could have made it so much worse. Draco had been lucky.

Voldemort collapsed back into his leather chair, not even bothering to put out the fire that was his desk, and seethed. He was too annoyed even to torture Draco, and the little bit he had done hadn't relieved his anger at all. That one little slip of the tongue from Draco, and now there was no way that he would be able to see more of Harry… right?

He frowned at the flames. The first spell that Harry had cast at him had been Stupefy. Stupefy… a relatively harmless spell. He'd just seen Lord Voldemort, the wizard who had been trying to kill him since before he was born, and that's the spell he'd chosen? It seemed odd that he wouldn't try something more powerful or deadly, like an Unforgivable. And when the emerald-eyed boy had first seen him, there had been no hatred in his eyes. Surprise? Yes. Anger? Yes, but nothing stronger than that. That didn't seem to fit, either. But why was that?

The door opened and Luna slipped in, her usual dreamy expression on her face. This time, she wore robes of bright yellow with green triangles.

He winced. They were truly awful.

She didn't seem at all bothered by the wreck of the room or the still burning desk, merely taking it all in with slightly protuberant blue eyes. "A lot of Frunglelimpits today, Tom?" she asked sympathetically.

He didn't bother to correct her. It wouldn't do any good. "Draco accidently let Potter know who he was, and, accordingly, who I am."

Luna nodded, apparently not surprised at all by the information.

"And he didn't try to kill me. Do you have any idea why that would be?" He wasn't even sure why he was asking, but sometimes, when he watched her and talked to her, there was something else about her that made him wonder how much she really knew.

Luna nodded. "Oh, of course. Why would he want to kill you?"

Now things were just getting confusing.

"I'm asking why he wouldn't want to kill me," he repeated, the urge to curse her getting stronger.

"Because he wouldn't. Harry really is quite gentle. He wouldn't even hurt a Smurphit. And why would he want to kill you? He doesn't have a reason to."

He refrained from asking what a Smurphit was, and focused on the second part of what she had rambled. "I'm quite certain that he would have a reason to kill me. We're enemies. I've been trying to murder him," he pointed out.

She just stared at him. "But you're not anymore."

"But he doesn't know that."

"True."

He closed his eyes. The whole conversation was going around in circles.

There was a moment of silence and then Luna spoke again. "You really should just ask him yourself. Why do you think he left the war in the first place?"

Voldemort's eyes snapped open and he stared at the young woman in front of him. A sudden idea had come to his mind. "Did you know where he was this entire time?"

She smiled at him, "Of course not. He's only been sending me letters."

He stared at her. She had known the entire time that the Boy-Who-Lived had been alive? And it would have been fairly easy to put a tracker on the owl that delivered the letters. He could have found Potter years ago. He slowly raised his arm, so that the point of his wand was pointing right between here eyes, and hissed, "And why did you hide this? Do you have a death wish?"

She went slightly cross-eyed, looking at the wand, but then said calmly, "You never asked me if he'd been owling me. And I don't especially have a death wish, thank you. I suppose I should think about that in case I ever wind up faced with a Darthmaurkin, though. But, really, Tom, I meant what I said about Harry. You should just go talk to him. I'm sure you two could be friends."

He gazed at her incredulously, and she simply stared tranquilly back, unbothered that the Dark Lord was currently pointing a wand in the middle of her forehead. After a moment, he lowered the wand and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Leave," he ordered, pointing towards the door. "Leave before I decide to eviscerate you and have to find a new secretary. And have someone make a new desk."

She just smiled at him. "All right, Tom. And don't forget that you have a meeting with the goblins tomorrow about expanding Gringotts." And, with that, she left, humming a very odd little ditty and waving her hands absently.

He groaned. What was wrong with the universe? There had to be something wrong when he didn't even torture people when they kept secrets from him. Maybe being in charge was making him go soft. He did rather miss the days when he was cruel, violent, and absolutely unstable and hadn't had to worry about politics. It had been so much more amusing to take over the wizarding world than to actually run it.

He sighed. And what had that eccentric, loony witch spouting? Him friends with Harry Potter? It was ludicrous… Or was it? After all, he already was friends with him, in a sense. Thomas Deldir was friends with him, and since he was Thomas Deldir, maybe the idea wasn't so farfetched after all.

Voldemort tapped a pale finger against his lips and smiled. Yes, it wasn't quite so farfetched at all… He got up from the chair and extinguished the flames with a wave of his wand. He owed Harry Potter a visit. The smile on his handsome face was nothing short of frightening and looked like it belonged more to a shark than a human. Yes, it was going to be interesting.

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><p>I'm back! Back from the wilderness, where I was dragged to... by aliens! I mean, my parents. Thankfully, I have a charger for my computer which means that I have a computer even when I'm camping. Huzzar! And I have another chapter for you all. Enjoy. Oh, just one more thing... I have over two hundred reviews! Can you belive it? It's just so... Awesome. Epical. Amazing. Gratifying. Wonderful. I think all of those words work here. So, I just want to thank you all for reading my story and actually liking it. So.. thanks.<p>

Ja ne,

_Rumer Hasit_

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><p><strong>FiresBurningTouch:<strong> Muahahahaha... I left you with a major cliffhanger, didn't I? Sorry about that. Didn't mean to. Sorry it took me so long to update, but I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**shopaholic1369:** Oh, Harry found out the truth, but Voldemort didn't mean for him to find out. And don't worry, I couldn't kill Draco off in the story. It just wouldn't be right without him.

**Barranca:** Well, "Thomas" tried to salvage the situation... It just didn't work. And, yes, Draco was in a world of pain. Voldemort went easy on him, though.

**Shannon the Original:** Argh. Sorry it took so long to update, but I do hope that you enjoy the chapter. I wonder what will happen next...

**Gemini Perverell:** Yup. I don't mean to create cliffhangers. It just sort of happens. Once again, sorry about the long update. I hope you're still reading after all this time.

**writergirl123456789:** Cliffhangers! They're sort of awful and creat at the same time. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**lilyoftheval5:** You're welcome for the chapter. And as for Draco... Oh, god. I hope not. Draco exploring his feminine side? It sounds a little scary... and way too right.

**IkutoisSmexy:** You loved it? Good. You were absolutely right in your review/prediction. Well, not about Voldemort about telling, but about Harry being suspicious.

**Chen-ko no Renkenjutsushii:** Yes, yes, I will write more. I promise.

**Cian Keita:** What? You think you should hate me? Oh, no. It's because of the cliffhanger, isn't it? And then you bless me? Well... Umm. Here's the next chapter.

**AHHH:** You love it? That really makes me happy to hear. And, no, Harry didn't know what was going on, but now he does. Oh, noes. And Voldemort didn't tell the truth. He tried to spin things to his advantage... only Harry was way to smart after the slip from Draco.

**S:** Ah, yes. The cliffhanger again. I swear I didn't mean to. But it was rather a bad one, wasn't it? And I hope you enjoyed the conclusion to the cliffhanger.

**gypsydancer529:** Yes, poor Draco. But he did spill the beans. And you were right about Voldemort not telling the truth.

**Luna Moon:** Sorry about that. I left you in suspense for a while, didn't I? And thank you for the compliment. Having you think my story is Uber-amazing is very nice.

**sousie:** The guy who likes to hug Harry and stuff will come in later at Balance, I think. Maybe he'll come back from a trip... Anyway, he'll come in eventually. I just know Voldemort's not going to like him.

**Reshimi Solaris:** Erm... Well, they didn't come clean to him exactly. I mean, he found out, but... Yeah. Things will work out somehow, I think.

**RRW:** I did seriously consider having Voldemort obliviate Harry somehow, but then it would probably back-fire and... it was just more interesting to have this happen. Cue the absurdness!

**itachisgurl93:** "Oh, shit" indeed. Poor, Draco. He really shouldn't have slipped up, though. You're very welcome for the update, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**LttleSparrow:** Well, since in the last review you said that you were looking forward to the next chapter, so... here you are!

**Q3APo:** Yes, Voldemort did try to lie. A true Slytherin. As for the bounce in his step... I'm not sure he's in love yet, but there's something there.

**DuShuZhi:** Thank you. Thank you very much.

**Reader-Anonymous-writer:** Well, I'm glad you didn't go into fantasy withdrawal. It's a nasty, painful process. I... think I'm... officially a Harry Potter nerd. I just got the Unofficial Harry Potter Cook book. And, yes, guys can cook, too! In fact, most of professional chefs are men. And, on a side note, I don't think I've ever read a book about a vampire detective... That would be cool. Umm... I think all of your questions were answered by that chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.

**Darklight-phoenix:** Yes, a major slip indeed. Tsk, tsk, Draco. And I think you're the first person to compliment the cliffhanger.

**Quadrillionaire:** Is it wrong for you to take enjoyment of Draco as a little girl? Maybe... but I do, too, and so do other people, so you're not alone. I think I want Draco and Harry to be friends this time around. And Draco accepts your pity hug. He needs it.

**SeraAnexia:** Why here? I'm going to guess that you're referring to the cliffhanger. Yeah... Sorry about that.

**jieha:** So my fanfiction takes away some of your stress? Well, I'm very glad that I can help with that. And I do hope that you enjoy this chapter as well.

**Fireotaku18:** You want to see Voldemort a little more Dark Lord-y? Well, I think he was a little more in this chapter. Was this what you meant?

**Melikalilly:** Aw. Thank you so much. It always makes me happy when people say that they love my story.

**olciak123:** You know, sometimes I doubted whether Draco really belonged in Slytherin. And someone should call him Ice Princess in my story. He would hate it so much... Good. I'm not sure I can really agree about his cuteness, but... sure. And Hermione will appear in a few chapters.

**Madame de Coeur:** Well, I didn't update soon like you asked, but I hope that you're still reading and enjoying my story.

**krysania:** Pure unadulterated brilliance? I think my ego just swelled three sizes. And, yes, Voldemort was actually worried. He's nice... somewhere deep down in there. And I don't think Draco's slip was too soon. Just keep reading and see what happens.

**alidala:** Thank you, thank you, and thank you. Beautiful and funny? What compliments! I can only hope that you're still reading this story and I do hope that you like this chapter.

**Hi. Pot. And. News:** Harry's speech was sort of adorable, wasn't it? And honest. And then Draco had to go and do that... Sigh.

**Logiar:** What happens next? Well, you saw what happened next. And now the question is... What does Voldemort have planned? And as for Draco? Just... Eh.

**DancingInThe Darkness:** Ah, but I did leave you all hanging! No, seriously. Sorry about that. I really don't mean to write cliffhangers. Hope you liked this chapter.

**Lady Icicle:** Amusing, interesting, and you love it? What more can I ask for in a review. Absolutely nothing. So, my lady, thank you very much for reviewing.

**ThisIsTheWayTheWorldEnds:** Yeah... I did sort of leave it as a huge cliffhanger, huh? I'm not usually cruel... or at least not on purpose. Hopefully this chapter will make up for it.

**p. junchai:** Okay, okay! I wrote the exciting part and answered what would happen after the cliffhanger. So glad you liked the last chapter, though.

**Mystia Katsuragi:** You were absolutely right. A bit of darkness popped up, but it's still not super dark. And I can't seem to write a whole lot of it. And don't worry about reviewing the stories. I'm just glad you read them.

**sarah999:** Phoo. I tortured you waiting for this update, didn't I? You have my deepest apologies. Maybe this chapter will make up for it?

**torpidxXR. :** Thank you.

**Isys Skeeter:** Well, Draco's not quite dead, but he got tortured a bit.

**duhorcommonsense:** Sorry for not granting your request, but I wanted the beans to spill and to spill everywhere! I did use your stick idea, though. Hope you're okay with that.

**Allanasha ke kiri:** Exactly. Voldemort certainly did lie through his teeth, not that it did him much good. Harry is trusting, but not stupid.

**My Solitude:** Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment.

**Kage 5243:** So, what did you think of this chapter?

**sweet sexy loli:** You're addicted? Muhahaha! My evil plan in working! Oops. Did I say that aloud? Anyways, I'm really glad that you liked it, and I hope you liked this chapter as well.

**AyaseFanGirl:** Did you really scream because another chapter wasn't out yet?

**SoulMore:** You're a fan? No, you're more than a fan. You're a FAN. Thanks.

**Tempest S:** Oh, Kami... The image that popped into my head when you wrote that description of Draco. *shudders*

**Ae3qe27u:** Nice. I really liked your review. It was like a mini-mini omake. And it made me laugh. Thanks for it.

**YaoiIsMyDrug.23:** Cliffies are a bit evil, aren't they? I don't do it on purpose, though! Anyway, I hope you're still reading this. Tell me what you think of this chapter.

**Arrelia-Jores:** Weeel... Voldemort chose not to tell the truth, but it came out anyway. No way that Harry wouldn't be suspicious after the "Potter" mishap.

**MangaFreak15:** Nooo! Don't hex me! Hex first ask questions later is a horrible rule! And, yes, Draco as Daphne is quite disturbing, isn't it?

**Hesunohana:** I was grinning so broadly when I read your review of my story. So, just... Thank you. It was really nice to read what you wrote.


	9. The Dumbfounding Discovery

**!*!*! ATTENTION ...** **ATHUGIÐ ... ΠΡΟΣΟΧΗ !*!*!**

**Disclaimer:** This Harry Potter fanfiction is in no way connected with J.K Rowling... except for me stealing her characters to do unspeakable things to. Feel free to join me in evil laughter.

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><p>Voldemort glanced in the mirror before turning back to Nagini, who was lying on the bed. To his amusement, she bobbed her head approvingly, and hissed, "Yes. Good. You look nice." Despite the fact that she was a snake, Nagini had an odd fascination with clothes, which she viewed as removable scales, and, to his surprise, had better fashion sense than many witches and wizards that he had seen.<p>

At the moment, he was wearing a dark silver v-necked sweater with the sleeves pushed up slightly and a pair of dark jeans. He wanted to look approachable, or as approachable as he could, and human… because he was going to pay Harry Potter a visit.

He checked his watch; it had only been less than half an hour since Draco had accidentally outed them to the Boy-Who-Lived, and he was going to go back. He wanted to wait long enough that the boy would calm down slightly, but that he wouldn't have packed up and disappeared. Of course, he could have disappeared the second that they had disapparated, but he doubted it. After two years in his new life, Harry Potter wouldn't just abandon it at a moment's notice. Voldemort strode over to the bed and ran his fingers gently over the scales on Nagini's head, making her hiss with pleasure.

"You go to the boy now?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Bring him to see me soon."

He blinked. Nagini had never expressed an interest in meeting other people. "I'm glad to know that you have so much confidence in me," he said, a half smile on his lips. "You don't think we'll wind up killing each other?"

Her great head swung from side to side, tongue slithering in and out. "No." And she didn't offer up any other explanation for her opinion.

He petted her head once more and then stepped away. "I'll be back later, Nagini," he hissed almost fondly, and with more affection than he had ever shown another person. Then, he turned and vanished. There was the unchanging feeling of being forcibly pressed through a remarkably narrow tube, and then he appeared in Harry Potter's living room, kilometers and kilometers away. As he had noticed before, there were anti-apparition wards on the apartment, but they were such that they only applied to people who intended harm. Voldemort intended to do a lot of things to Harry, but harming him wasn't one of them.

There were char marks and cut marks on the wooden floor, and one of the squishy armchairs had been completely incinerated, now just a burnt shell. Other than that, and a rather large hole in the wall, not to mention a pile of ash on the ground which may have been a table, the room was untouched. Which was to say that it looked like a particularly violent blast-ended skrewt had been unleashed on part of the room. The smell of burning wood and fabric lingered in the air.

Apparently having heard the distinctive popping sound of apparition, footsteps hurried towards the living room. "Hermione! You wouldn't believe what just-" Harry's voice cut off as he rounded the corner to the room and saw who his uninvited guest was.

"This is the second time that you've mistaken me for Miss Granger. I assure you, we're very different people," Voldemort said with a hint of a smile.

In a flash, there was a wand pointed at him.

But where had Harry hidden it? Voldemort mused. Because he hadn't seen it a moment ago, and there really were limited places where he could have hidden it dressed like that. The only piece of clothing that he wore was a pair of navy blue sweat pants. Voldemort took in the sight before him.

Harry's hair lay flatter than usual, still damp from a shower, and his upper body was on full display. He wasn't overly muscular, but he was fit, with clearly defined muscles. It didn't look like there was one extra ounce of fat on his form. He was thin and wiry, lithe, and not at all unattractive.

His eyes trailed upwards from an elegant neck, currently rigid with tension, and met furious, and a little confused, green eyes. "Riddle! What the bloody hell are you doing here? Back to try and kill me?"

The Dark Lord sighed, "Language, Harry. And Riddle? I thought you were calling me Tom. Besides, did it seem like I was trying to kill you last time?" Honestly, the boy needed to use his head. Although, he had been trying to kill him for the past who knew how many years, so perhaps it was a reasonable conclusion, even if it was the wrong one.

Harry didn't react to the taunt, and instead said, "What do you want? I left you alone! I left. Isn't that enough? It's not like I can do anything about the thing! Trust me, I've tried."

Voldemort blinked. He was officially confused, a feeling which he loathed. What was the boy talking about? What thing? He opened his mouth to demand to know what he was talking about, and then closed it. "You know what I'm here for," he said after a moment's pause, playing along.

To his surprise, Harry's hand started shaking. "Well, I'd give it to you if I could, but I can't! It's not like I want the thing in me. But you can't have it, and you can't kill me, because you'd just hurt yourself," Harry ground out, eyes blazing.

Voldemort just refrained from grinding his teeth. He still had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. So he just kept silent, waiting for Harry to continue talking.

When Harry did speak again, his words were bitter. "So, when did you figure it out? It must have come as a surprise to find out that the person you've been trying to kill all of these years is your bloody horcrux!"

Whatever he had expected him to say that had not been it. The single word echoed around the room. Voldemort stared at the person in front of him. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Harry Potter was a horcrux? His horcrux, to be exact? It couldn't be…. But, now that he thought about it, it made sense. He had all but died the night he tried to kill the boy, and, when the curse rebounded, some of his soul must have split off and used the body of the young babe as a vessel. It explained the oddities of the curse scar, the link between their minds, and the other's ability to speak parseltongue.

He stared at the unyielding young man in front of him, and the knowledge finally sunk in. Harry Potter was his horcrux. "So, you're one of my horcruxes?" he asked finally, voice still surprised but with a tinge of glee with would have made most people run for the hills.

Now, Harry froze. "Wait, what do you mean? You didn't know?" His voice held an edge of panic.

Slowly, Voldemort shook his head. "I have no idea, not until you told me." He watched as Harry closed his eyes as if in pain and then, quite deliberately, bang his head into the wall several times.

"Son of a–"

Reigning in the urge to laugh, the Dark Lord waited until the younger man was done whacking his head on the wall in frustration, and then turn back to him.

"Lovely, so I just told you that I have a piece of your soul in me. I don't suppose there's any chance that you could forget that?"

Voldemort shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

"Great." The emerald eyed young man looked like he was getting a headache that had nothing to do with the fact that he had repeatedly rammed his head against the wall. "You didn't know… But then what on earth are you here for? Why were you pretending to be someone else? Are you here to kill me? Why did you come back? How did you find me? And why was Malfoy disguised as a girl?"

Voldemort glanced around the room and then moved over to the couch, which wasn't too mangled, before sitting down and crossing his legs with a grace that Lucius would be envious of. He patted the spot next to him. "Sit down and I'll explain everything."

Harry narrowed his eyes and didn't lower his wand. "You've got to be joking. You want me to sit down next to you? As in get within arms distance of you? It's not going to happen."

Voldemort gave a frown of annoyance. "I am not going to harm you, get that through your head, Potter." Seeing that he wasn't moving and was just standing there stubbornly, he added, "When have I ever lied to you?"

"First year, when you said that you could bring back my parents, and the when you send me the f-false visions of Sirius. Not to mention today," came the immediate, and icy cold, answer.

Voldemort just refrained from rolling his eyes. "Details, details. Fine, I swear, on my magic, that I will not harm you in anyway today… unless you attempt to harm me."

Now, Harry was gaping at him, jaw open. Swearing on your magic wasn't something to be taken lightly. It wasn't as serious as an unbreakable vow, but it still had serious repercussions if broken.

"You – er… what?" Harry asked, rather disjointedly.

"I swore on my magic not to harm you today," Voldemort repeated slowly. Maybe he'd mistaken the Gryffindor's intelligence level. "Or do you want to get into an epic battle like all of those wizards and witches expected years ago?"

"No!" Harry almost yelped. Voldemort raised an eyebrow in question, and the boy cleared his throat. "No. I don't want to duel you."

Even if he had had his suspicions, hearing the Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen one, the one who, according to a prophecy by an extremely unstable woman, would be the only one able to kill him, was shocking. And rather pleasing, if he was honest. "Good. Then sit down, and we can discuss this," he said, once again patting the seat next to him.

"Erm… I'd rather stand, thanks," Harry said after a moment.

"Sit." The single word brooked no argument. "I've already promised not to harm you. What on earth do you expect me to do?" He paused. "Of course, perhaps you're uncomfortable with my appearance? How about one you're more familiar with?" He took out his wand, ignoring the jolt of the other, and flicked the wand over himself. He felt his skin tingle and features morph, and, even though he didn't have a mirror, he knew that he now resembled Thomas Deldir, his counterpart, so to speak. He smiled charmingly at the stupefied boy. "Better?"

Harry made a choking sound and then smacked himself in the forehead. "Of course! Thomas Deldir. Tom Riddle. Deldir is an anagram for Deldir. And you always did like anagrams, didn't you? Take if off, though. It's even more disturbing seeing him, I mean you, like that now that I know who you really are."

With another smooth movement of his wand, Voldemort returned to his own appearance. "Hm. And I was under the impression that you were rather fond of Thomas." To his glee, Harry flushed slightly. He continued, "Now, if you're quite done protesting and hitting yourself in the head, I would prefer it if you sat down," he said, words definitely tinged with annoyance this time.

After hesitating for another moment, Harry moved forward, dragging his feet unwillingly, and, after a suspicious glance at Voldemort, who was grinning in a way that would make a vampire proud and a lesser man scream like a first year, he sat down at the far end of the couch, keeping as much space as he could between him and Voldemort. "Fine," he said shortly, "I'm sitting. Now explain all of – all of this!"

"Gladly." Voldemort leaned back into the couch, completely at ease. "To answer your questions… I'm here to explain things, I suppose. I was pretending to be someone else because I knew that you wouldn't let me within a dozen meters without trying to curse me, and I wanted to see how you really are. No, I think I've made it pretty clear that I'm not here to kill you, and, even if I wanted to, I wouldn't now that I know you're one of my horcruxes. Why did I come back? I think I answered that already. Although, I also came back to make sure you didn't vanish. I had a difficult enough time finding you last time. A woman had seen you and she came to me with the information. And, as to why the young Malfoy was disguised as a girl… I did that. I thought it suited him."

"Yeah, too well," Harry muttered before falling silent and staring at him. He simply stared at him with those luminous green eyes, unblinking.

To Voldemort's surprise, they were more calculating that confused now, although the confusion was still there. He stared back.

Finally, Harry blinked, turning his head away, and let out a sigh, running his hands through his unruly black hair.

Voldemort's eyes traced the movement, waiting.

"Well… That's not what I expected. I mean, I wasn't really sure what I expected, but that wasn't it." He shook his head. "Let me get this straight. A witch came to you claiming to know where I was, and you decided to disguise yourself to come and see me and then you decided to get to know me and you included Snape, Mr. Malfoy, and Malfoy in on the whole thing? And you kept it up for that long? You have to admit, it still doesn't make that much sense."

Voldemort made a non-committal sound. "It does it you realize that even before I found out that you are my horcrux that I didn't want to kill you."

Harry blinked. "Yeah, about that… why?"

"Do you know how many prophecies actually come true? Out of all of the ones made?" Voldemort asked abruptly. His confused companion shook his head slowly. "Around nineteen percent. I finally figured that I could simply ignore the prophecy and it wouldn't come true if I didn't try to kill you anymore. Besides, it would be a waste to kill someone with your magical potential."

"Not to mention the fact that there was the chance you would have died," Harry pointed out.

"Yes, there was a slim chance of that, too," Voldemort admitted grudgingly.

"Okay, fine. I might get that, but then why were you… I mean, why did it seem like you were fli-" Harry stopped abruptly, slightly flustered. "Never mind."

Voldemort raised an eyebrow. What was he sputtering about?

Out of the blue, Harry burst into laughter. Granted, it was tinged with hysteria, but it was laughter nonetheless.

When the raven-haired young man's laughter subsided, Voldemort asked archly, "Should I contact St. Mungo's or would you care to explain?"

"Nothing. It's just that if someone told me that I'd be sitting here, talking with my arch-enemy, and doing it fairly peaceably, I'd have thought that they had a confundus cast on them," Harry explained.

"Ex-arch-enemy," Voldemort corrected. Harry still looked doubtful at that, but before he could say anything, Voldemort leaned forward and asked with interest, "What I find interesting is that you are taking this so calmly. As a Gryffindor, I would have expected a lot more anger and refusal to believe what I'm saying."

The younger man shrugged. "I still read the Daily Prophet, and if any of what's in there is true then you're not quite the crazy, power mad, evil, snake-faced bastard I thought you were."

"Thank you so much," Voldemort said dryly.

Harry huffed. "What I mean is that the wizarding world is actually in better shape than it was under Fudge. I was expecting something more along the lines of the mass destruction of all muggle-borns, or their enslavement, for magical creatures to be treated even worse, for Dark Arts to be the norm, and for a thousand years of darkness. You know, those sorts of thing."

Well, he had actually planned to get rid of the muggle-borns, to crush magical creatures, and he had actually introduced some Dark arts into Hogwarts, but Harry didn't need to know that. Better to focus on the one thing that was preposterous.

"A thousand years of darkness, really?"

"It seemed to fit," Harry said, unapologetic. "But, anyway, I knew, or thought, that you weren't completely nuts and evil, so that's why I didn't try to… Erm, kill you immediately."

Then, he seemed become aware of how close they were.

Over the course of the conversation, Voldemort had moved from his end of the couch over to Harry's, so close that their legs would brush if they moved. Not to mention the fact that the Dark Lord's arm was along the back of the couch, almost encircling Harry.

"Umm…"

"Yes?" Voldemort prompted, keeping his face innocent.

Harry leaned back as far as he could without falling off of the couch and swallowed, adam's apple bobbing. He didn't quite seem able to find his words.

Having pity on him, although still laughing manically inwardly, Voldemort moved back slightly, and said, "Well, now that I've answered all of your questions, I think it's time that you answered some of mine, don't you think?"

"I suppose," Harry conceded warily, flusteredness disappearing at the sudden question.

Voldemort almost lamented that fact. He rather liked seeing his no-longer-arch-enemy flustered because of him. "Good. Why did you leave the wizarding world?"

Voldemort waited, with baited breath, for the answer to the question he had been wondering for the past two years. He'd come up with theory after theory, but now he'd know the truth…

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><p>Yes, yes, I know it's been ages since I last updated. I'm still alive, and I've also started college and am taking my midterms right now. I've come to several conclusions. One, college is a process that evil professors created to suck out your soul. Two, taking sixteen units for your first quarter ever is a bad idea. Three, school consumes your life, leaving you no free time and makes you into a hollow, anxiety-ridden shell of a person. I actually had this chapter written ages ago, but I never posted it up. Why? Because I forgot. Why did I forget? Because I was busy with, you guessed it, college. Okay... I'm done ranting now. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter. No, wait. One more thing... I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO FREAKING LONG! Okay, now I'm done. Oh, and before anyone says anything, I apologize in advance for the length of the reviews, but I'm not going to stop talking to the people who read my story.<p>

Ja ne,

_Rumer Hasit_

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><p><strong>xDarklightx:<strong> You said to update soon... Er, well I didn't do that, but I did update eventually. That counts for something, right? Please don't use an unforgivable on me...

**Barranca:** Long live friendship, indeed... What were we talking about? Anyway, Luna is awesome and kind, and Voldemort is... Well, he's just him.

**gypsydancer529:** You can't wait to see how Tom handles Harry? Oh, he'd like to "handle" Harry, alright... That sounded incredibly perverted. And I meant for it to sound that way! And, yes, it would totally figure that Voldemort would find Harry beautiful while the guy was trying to incapacitate him. He's got weird kinks.

**Madame de Coeur:** I am so sorry that I haven't updated in so long. All I can say is that I really hope you're still interested in reading this little story of mine.

**DuShuZhi:** I know. I love Luna, too. She's one of my favorite characters by far. I mean, how can you really top her? She's cute, imaginative, a little crazy, smart, sweet, and completely awesome.

**SeraAnexia:** I make you happy? With the story you mean? Then, following that train of reasoning, it must have made you sad that I haven't updated in so long... I'm such a bad person... *Flays self with a whip* Ow. Okay, hopefully this chapter made you happy.

**itachisgurl93:** You thought the last chapter was wonderful? Well, thank you very much. I love it that you love it when I write about Luna. I love it, too. That's a lot of love.

**Reader-Anonymous-Writer:** Voldemort is rather brilliant, isn't he? He is a Slytherin, after all. He avoided lying for the most part. A miracle, especially considering who it is we're talking about. And I'm sorry that it took so long to get this chapter up.

**Fireotaku18:** Well, Voldemort sort of did punish Draco... sort of. I couldn't exactly have him kill Draco off, now could I? Never mind. Don't answer that. Voldemort's heart just wasn't into it. He's too distracted by Harry at the moment. As for him not torturing Luna... I don't really have a reason for that except for the fact that I like her so much I don't want to torture her. That's right. Author bias!

**rowanlyn-mirrim:** Well, thank you very much. I'm rather happy with how my version of Voldemort came out, too. I always wanted Harry to just dump the wizarding world and leave them to their own devices, too. Bunch of prats for the most part... and I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in forever.

**fandjio:** Interesting, you say? Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the past chapters. I hope you're still reading.

**jieha:** Nice to know you enjoy reading my story, and, once again, I apologize for the really, really, lateness of this chapter.

**Haljaruna:** The last chapter was too short, you say? Sorry 'bout that. And I do know that the end of the chapter isn't quite the right place for responses, but I try to keep them short and it's so much easier than doing them all individually.

**Gemini Perverell:** You think... Voldemort's a sweetheart? I definitely need to make him a little more evil, don't I? But I'm glad that you like him, and I want to apologize that I haven't posted a chapter sooner. I know you've been reading and reviewing this story for a while, and really hope that you will continue to.

**Guest:** Thank you, thank you very much. I hope you liked this chapter.

**Krysania:** Well, the way that I view it is that Harry's been through a lot, and I mean a lot, of weird shit, and finding out that someone he's been spending time with was really a disguised Voldemort wouldn't be too surprising after all. As for the soft punishment of Draco... I think I've tortured him enough making him cross-dress. You've been sitting on hot nails since the last chapter? That must have been uncomfortable...

**13AkiraKuranXIII:** Brilliant? I'm so very glad you think so. And... Yes, the chapter does seem a little longer do to the reviews, but I hope that you still enjoy reading it.

**Tearful Shadows:** Nope, no duel between Harry and Voldemort. They're just going to have a nice peaceful, heartfelt conversation, filled with weirdness, overt flirting, and misunderstandings. Maybe.

**sousie:** Ah, you are wise beyond your years. If I was confronted with a smiling Voldemort, I'd have disapparated before you could say, "Cauldron cake!" Or, alternately, "Holy ^(#$(*".

**AuroreD-92:** Well, Aurore, thank you very much for the review. I appreciate it, and, just so you know, your English seems quite good. It was easy to understand what you were saying. But, really, thank you for taking the time to leave a review.

**Mystia Katsuragi:** Yes, Luna is rather amazing, isn't she? There isn't really anything else you can say about her. Her insane awesomeness is beyond description. And... I'm rambling. But thanks for reviewing, and I hope you don't mind it took so long to get this chapter up.

**FiresBurningTouch:** Drama and tension? YES! Finally a review where someone didn't say that it was adorable. I mean, I don't mind that at all, but it's nice to know that I can write one that isn't fraught with cuteness.

**Melikalilly:** It always makes me smile like an idiot when someone says that reading my story made their day. I hope you liked this chapter enough to say that, as well.

**Lady Lunasuki:** I think there are very few people who could talk sense into the Dark Lord... and Luna makes so little sense that it makes sense she would be one of those people, right? Right? I have no idea.

**RRW:** Oh, boy. Well, you know what? I didn't even consider Voldemort turning Draco into a girl for an extended amount of time. And I think you're right... It wouldn't be that much of a punishment.

**KhepriRa:** Yes! The last chapter made you crack up with laughter. Success is mine! Ah. It's always nice to hear that. And as for you saying I'm an amazing... Well, thank you, thank you very much.

**Izara Sprightly of Redmont:** I know. You just can't dislike Luna, can you? It's an impossibility. Like Ron chewing with his mouth shut or Draco not sneering. And, as always, Zara, you are completely awesome in your omake-making skills.

**Angelic Abomination:** I won't abandon this story, but the updates are going to be pretty slow. Like I said above, college is evil, created by sadists, and eats up all of your time. But I'll try to post up more chapters soon, okay?

**Name 304:** Voldemort went for the bold approach. He just went back to Harry's flat. And... I'm really, really sorry about not updating sooner. And you're welcome about including Luna in the story. She does get overlooked a lot, doesn't she? How can other authors not see how amazing she is?

**Basill:** In your last review you said, "the sooner you update the happier I will be"... It's been quite a while, and I can only hope that you're at least a little happy with this new chapter.

**jazmynkim:** You love it? Well, thank you. And you want more? Well, here it is, even if it's taken a while to get here.

**Ramen God:** The grin on my face was huge when I read that you thought my story was a work of art, but that it needed to be longer. It's getting longer! Slowly... Harry forcibly taken by Voldemort... Ummm... I'm not sure I could write that... but I'll think about it, alright? And I'm really glad you like my characters. And, yes, this story is definitely slash. It'll be a little slow, but, trust me, it'll get there.

**ForXXXXSake:** Oh, god! Okay, okay! Here's another chapter! You were kidding when you said that you'd die if you didn't get more chapters soon, right? Right?! Or am I talking to a zombie?

**Mashkai30:** Well, it's nice that you like that story, and of course I'd share it. The only reason I'm writing it is because of you all.

**MarquasNoir97:** Glad you loved the last chapter. And... darn it. I really am sorry that it took so long to get this one up. Hopefully you're still reading it?

**aliengirlguy:** Yes! You're enjoying my story. I have succeeded in my goal! And, I must ask... are you a guy, girl, or... alien? Please say the last one.


	10. Enlightening Explanations

**!*!*! ATTENTION ... శ్రద్ధ ... UPPMÄRKSAMHET !*!*!**

**Disclaimer: **Not one single, itty-bitty, tiny atom-sized piece of Harry Potter belongs to me. This work is purely me using J.K Rowling's character to fuel my over-active and somewhat disturbing imagination. Please, enjoy the results of my depravity.

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><p>Voldemort watched as Harry hesitated, pink tongue darting out to moisten his lips.<p>

And then he spoke. "I suppose it's simple. I just didn't want to do it anymore. I wanted… Okay, no. That's not quite right. Look, I didn't have the best childhood, and then I got my Hogwarts letter, and even that didn't go smoothly. But I got there, and I was happy. I-I felt like I belonged. It was my home. And then you sort of interrupted that with the whole Sorcerer's stone thing. And then again in the second year with the Chamber of Secrets. In the third year, I found out that I had a godfather who actually wanted me, even if everyone thought that he was an escaped murderer. Of course, Peter Pettigrew got away, and the proof the Sirius was innocent vanished with him. Fourth year was the tri-wizard tournament. You came back and Cedric died. Fifth year… Sirius died."

He got up off of the couch suddenly and started pacing with jerky movements. "Does this sound like a normal childhood to you? I know that I'm not normal, in any sense of the word, but I just wanted everything to stop for once. For things to be peaceful. But even all of that wasn't what made me decide to leave. Professor Dumbledore told me about the horcruxes. How I needed to find them and destroy them before I killed you. After he told me about them… I started thinking, connecting the dots, and then it was clear. I didn't want to believe it at first. It made me sick. But it was clear; I was a horcrux. I told Hermione about it, hoping that I'd be wrong, but she agreed with me. So, I knew that to defeat you, I had to die and someone else had to finish you off."

He paused and then repeated it. "I had to die. I had to sacrifice myself to save everyone else, everyone else. And… I didn't want to. I wanted to be happy and alive. So I left to start a new life where nothing was expected of me. For once, I didn't do I right thing. I didn't think about anyone else."

He turned luminous eyes towards Voldemort and asked, "Does that make me selfish? Wanting to live?" The question was asked almost lightly, but he could see the emotions conflicting on his face.

"No." Voldemort was surprised how sharp his voice came out. "It doesn't. It's sickening that an entire world with thousands of able bodied witches and wizards relied on a boy, not even a man, to save them. As far as I am concerned, you did the right thing."

Now Harry was staring at him. "What?"

"I said, I thought that you did the right thing. It was certainly good for me that you did it; it was good for you, and beneficial for the wizarding world. It was also a very Slytherin thing to do."

To his surprise, Harry snorted, muttering, "Like that's a surprise."

Voldemort opened his mouth to ask him what he meant by that, but Harry said quickly, "And so that's how I wound up here. Although, I didn't cut myself off from the wizarding world completely."

Voldemort nodded. "Yes, I take it that Ms. Granger knows that you're here. I suppose the Weasley boy as well?"

A cloud came over Harry's expressive face. "Actually… no."

When he didn't offer up any more explanation, Voldemort cleared his throat. "And here I thought you were so close."

"We are – were…. He's still my best mate; it's just that he wouldn't have understood. If I had told him that I was a horcrux, and that I needed to die for you to die, then I'm not sure what he would have done. I don't think he would have been all right with me… running away. And Hermione agreed with me that it was the right thing not to tell him."

Voldemort would have inquired farther, but there was a final look on the younger man's face. So, instead, he asked, "Anyone else?"

Shaking his head, Harry said, "No. Hermione's the only one who knows where I am. I send letters to a couple of other people, though."

"Like Ms. Lovegood?"

His head jerked towards Voldemort at that. "Luna? How did you know? If you've done-"

Voldemort help up his hands, cutting him off. "Relax, Harry. I haven't touched a hair on Ms. Lovegood's rather unusual head. She works for me and mentioned it today."

"Luna works for you?" Harry said blankly.

"Yes, she's my secretary."

"I… was not expecting that. She never mentioned where she worked." Suddenly, he plopped back down onto the couch next to Voldemort. "This is so weird," he said with a little laugh. "You, Lord Voldemort, and I, Harry Potter, are talking civilly and having a perfectly pleasant conversation. It isn't the end of the world, is it? Because that might explain this."

"And isn't this preferable?"

There was a hesitation, and then: "Much."

He let his eyes wander over the young man in front of him. Either he was completely comfortable in his own skin, or he had forgotten that he was currently half naked. Harry's chest was smooth and an even golden tan. His eyes drifted lower to the waistband of the sweatpants where golden skin disappeared beneath the fabric. There was still no sign of a tan line. He'd rather like to know where the tan ended, or if it even ended.

With a faint twinge of surprise, he realized what he had just been thinking. He found Harry Potter attractive. Very attractive. Interesting.

He brought his eyes back up to said person's face, only to find them staring at him with a mixture of embarrassment and alarm. He was also faintly pink-cheeked.

Voldemort smirked slightly, and then, out of the blue, Harry blurted out, "What happened to you? I mean, you look like… almost how I saw you in the Chamber of Secrets. Is this an illusion?"

Voldemort shook his head. "No, this is how I truly look. Thanks to several of Severus's potions, I appear how I did when I was in my twenties. What do you think?"

Before Harry could sputter an answer, there came the metallic sound of a key turning in a lock, and the front door swung open. "Harry! I brought some dinner. I tried that recipe you gave me last time, and I think-" She cut off abruptly as she took in the sight of Voldemort and Harry sitting together, rather closely, on the couch.

From her viewpoint, the damaged portion of the room wasn't visible.

Voldemort gazed back at her. Wearing a soft purple jumper and a pair of jeans, holding a bag full of food, was Hermione Granger. Her hair was far less bushy than he remembered, caught up in a loose ponytail, and she was still staring at them.

He waited for her to firing hexes at him, but it never came. Instead, something seemed to click in her head, and a sly grin formed on her lips. "Harry… Is this Thomas?"

His eyes widened. She had no idea who he was. Of course. She's never seen him before, only Harry had. She had no idea that she was looking at Lord Voldemort. His mind went over the implications of what she said. If she thought he was Thomas, since she must not have noticed the fact that his eyes were red, and he was sort of, then that meant that Harry had talked about him to her. And from the way that she was grinning, they had been good things.

Harry's face was beet red now; he opened his mouth to say something, but Voldemort cut him off, smiling charmingly at Hermione. "Yes, I am Tom. A pleasure to meet you, Ms…"

The smirk on her face broadened. "Granger. Hermione Granger." Her eyes flickered between Harry and Voldemort again and she asked, "I'm sorry, was I interrupting something?"

Voldemort said, "Yes," at the same time that Harry finally found his voice and shot to his feet with a "No!"

"No, really, if you two are busy, then I can always come back later," Hermione said, backing towards the door and still grinning widely.

Voldemort decided that he rather liked her.

"No! Hermione! This isn't Thomas, or it is… Sort of. I mean… argh. This is Lord Voldemort."

The smile quickly dropped off of her face, and she stared at Voldemort. Finally, she seemed to notice his scarlet eyes. A moment later, a wand was in her hand. "Harry… What's going on?"

Voldemort sighed. He had had just about enough of people pointing wands at him today. And he couldn't even hex them for it because it would put a severe dent in his plans.

Harry scratched his head awkwardly, and said, "It's kind of hard to explain, Hermione. But you can put your wand down. He's not going to kill us." He turned to Voldemort. "Right?"

He nodded smoothly. "Correct. I won't harm either you or Ms. Granger unless you attempt to harm me first. I believe we've been over this, Harry."

Meanwhile, the no-longer bushy haired witch was staring at them, mouth opening and closing, but no sound was coming out. Well, the Dark Lord mused. It must be hard to wrap her head around the notion of them sitting together quite amicably and not trying to kill each other.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened them. "Okay… So let me get this right. You two are no longer enemies? And you're not trying to kill each other?" Her voice was shrill with disbelief.

Two nods greeted that.

"I see. Umm… Good." She collapsed down onto a stool, which was a little wobbly as one of the legs was falling off. "And how did this happen?"

"I'll tell you about it later, Hermione," Harry said quickly, after a glance at Voldemort.

Voldemort tilted his head back to look at Hermione. "You seem to be taking this quite calmly, Ms. Granger. I would have thought that you'd be more disbelieving."

She merely waved that away. "I've seen what you've been doing to the wizarding world. It's nothing like what we thought was going to happen. In fact, it's the opposite. After seeing that, I'm almost willing to believe anything. I mean, if I can go from toting the laws of physics to getting a letter saying that I'm a witch, this is completely possible."

He couldn't help a smug grin from spreading across his handsome face. Things were going so much more smoothly than he had anticipated. It was rather nice when things just fell into place. He could see the girl darting glances at Harry, practically vibrating in her seat with the urge to ask questions.

In a single fluid movement, Voldemort rose from his seat. "I think it's time for me to be going. I'm sure that you two have a lot to talk about."

Hermione jumped slightly. "Right. Well, it was a pleasure to meet you..." She trailed off, clearly unsure how to address him.

"Riddle. You may call me Riddle." He turned to Harry, who seemed bemused by the whole situation. "Harry…. It was a pleasure."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione's eyebrows shoot up in surprise at his tone.

Harry smiled, slightly awkwardly and nodded. "Right. So, Tom, I take it that this means that we're… at peace? You'll leave me alone and I'll leave you alone and everyone can be happy?"

Voldemort shook his head. "Leave you alone? Oh, I don't think so. In fact, I look forward to seeing much more of you," he practically purred, and then he turned on his heel and disapparated.

Before his body vanished completely, he heard Granger say, "Harry… Why are you half-naked and talking with Voldemort?"

He laughed, but the sound was swallowed up by the magic, and he disappeared.

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><p>Wow... it's been a long time, something that is totally and completely my fault. Erm... I suppose the only thing I can say is... please don't find out where I live and torture me for hours before killing me because I haven't updated in so long. I can't offer any excuse, either, except for the same one as last time. College. I seem to drop absolutely everything when the quarter starts and focus only on school-work. It's not healthy... but my GPA is 3.6, so I guess the studying pays off. Right... Anyway, I'm just really, really sorry that it took me this long to get another chapter up, and I wanted to say thank you to everyone who reviewed and kept reviewing, asking me to update. And an extra thank you to you guys who sent me PMs and pushed me to get another chapter out. Due to the fact that there's just so freaking many reviews, I'm afraid I'm not going to answer them. Well, that and the fact that, if I did, it's been so long that most people probably would have forgotten what they asked in the review or what we were talking about. But, umm, yeah. I hope you all enjoy the chapter.<p>

Ja ne,

_Rumer Hasit_


	11. Confounding Conclusions

**!*!*! ATTENTION ... 주의 ... OFFICIUM !*!*!**

**Disclaimer:** While I am using these characters to my own twisted ends, they don't actually belong to me. Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and I'm only borrowing her characters to do unspeakable things to. Please enjoy the following chapter.

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><p>Harry stared at the spot where his ex-nemesis, Lord Voldemort, had disappeared, after making a parting comment that could be taken several ways, none of which were reassuring. Then, he turned to Hermione and answered her question. "It's complicated."<p>

And it was.

"I need a drink," he announced suddenly. Staggering away from the couch, he made his way to the kitchen, yanked open one of the cupboards, and brought out a bottle of amber liquid and two glasses.

Hermione made a little disapproving noise.

"No offense, Hermione, but I think I need something stronger than wine with dinner." After pouring a generous amount of the fire-whiskey and plating up the food, a curry, that she had brought, they drew up stools and settled down at the counter off of the kitchen.

There was absolute silence except for the sound of clanking utensils, and then Hermione burst out, "What in the name of Merlin just happened, Harry? Was that Thomas? Or was it Voldemort? And why are you half-naked? Was there a duel in the front room? Why did Voldemort look like he wanted to eat you? Are you two friends now? How long has this been going on? Does this mean that you're coming back to the wizarding world?"

He silenced her with a weary glare and took a rather large gulp of the fire-whiskey. It seared his throat, spreading warmth and pleasant tingles throughout his body. "One question at a time, Hermione, and I doubt I'll be able to answer them all. I'm confused about what just happened."

She sipped the fire-whiskey, making a face, and then asked, "Fine. Was that Thomas Deldir or Voldemort?"

"Erm… Both?"

"What! Harry James Potter, you better tell me what's going on here!"

He eyed the fork in her hand warily, and said, "Fine, fine. I'll try. Apparently, Thomas was Voldemort. He disguised himself."

She merely blinked at him. "Why?"

A very good question. He wished he knew. "I suppose to get closer to me?"

She toyed with the food on her plate absentmindedly, expression thoughtful. "Yes, but why? He seems to be actually sane. He's improved the wizarding world; he doesn't want to kill you, and he's being… friendly. I think that may have been the last word that I'd ever associate with him. And the whole not-being-insane and not hating muggle-borns isn't a scam, I don't think. Or, if it is, he's kept it up for two years, and for what? No. I think we need to assume that he's actually not a monster… anymore. So, he found out where you were, somehow, and disguised himself to get closer to you. That's not too odd, but… I thought you said that 'Thomas' was flirting with you?"

Harry took another gulp of fire-whiskey to fortify himself. The idea that Voldemort was flirting with him was disconcerting to say the least. He needed to expunge the idea from his brain. "Well, I must have been mistaken. Or he was just doing it to get closer. I'm hoping that I was just plain wrong."

"I don't know," she mused, "when I saw you two together, it seemed like he was… hitting on you. Really, it looked like he wanted to devour you and-"

"Hermione!"

"Okay, fine. I'm just reporting what I saw."

He glared at her while she pretended not to notice and picked at the food on her plate. After a moment, he added in a small voice, "And… He may know that I'm one of his horcruxes."

She gave a start. "That's not good. How did he find out?"

"I… might have told him."

"Harry!" She sounded scandalized.

"It was an accident," he protested.

"How exactly could you telling him be an accident?" she demanded, hand on her hips.

"Well, I thought that he was here because he wanted to try and somehow take the piece of soul out or something, and he acted like he knew, but then… he didn't." He winced at how lame it sounded.

"How did he react?"

He ran his hands through his hair again and cast a longing look at the bottle of fire-whiskey but didn't refill his glass. Now was not the time to get shit-faced. Now was the time to figure out exactly what was going on, because, frankly, he didn't have a clue. But Hermione was smart, far smarter than anyone else he knew, so she might be able figure it all out. Because he was moments away from casting an obliviate on himself to erase the memories of Tom Riddle virtually undressing him with his eyes, not that he was wearing all that much to start with. It wasn't even that Voldemort… Tom, was particularly ugly. It was that he was a cold-blooded murderer who was crazier than Luna and not in a good way. Except that he wasn't anymore.

His eyes drifted back to the fire-whiskey. Maybe another glass wouldn't hurt. He sighed. But it certainly wouldn't help, besides giving him a hangover. Hermione was still waiting for him to answer her question.

Instead, he said, "Why don't I just tell you everything that happened today?"

And he did.

When he was done, she gaped at him, not saying a word.

He waved a hand in front of her face. "Hermione?"

She blinked, and then gasped out. "Draco Malfoy was Daphne?"

He rested his head on the counter none too gently. "I tell you all of that, and that's the first thing you say?" he mumbled. Without glancing up, he knew she was blushing.

"Well, it's just surprising! And rather disturbing…"

He nodded his agreement. He didn't even want to think about it. That meant that he'd hugged Malfoy. And what about the time where he'd kissed her, him, on the forehead. That meant that he had kissed Malfoy. He felt the sudden urge to use sand paper on his lips. While he wished he had been friends with the pale-haired boy, there were limits. He groaned. What had happened to his life? Just when he'd gotten it normal.

A small, warm, comforting hand patted his back. "It'll be all right, Harry. At least it isn't worse."

"How could it be worse?"

"Well, you could be dead."

True. He supposed that would be worse. Not necessarily less confusing, but worse. He looked up, propping his head on his arms. "Well? Any ideas?"

She bit her lip. "Yes…" The words, "But you're not going to like them," remained unspoken, hanging in the air.

"And they are?"

She didn't answer immediately.

Harry felt his stomach plummet. She had the same look on her face that she got every time that she knew something that she knew would upset the other person, but thought that they should hear it but didn't really want to tell them. "Hermione?"

"Harry… I know you don't want to hear this, but after listening to everything that you said and actually seeing him interact with you, I think he might actually like you."

"No," Harry said flatly. "I'm sorry Hermione, but you're wrong." Denial, a little part of his mind said. Denial. He could live with denial as long as he didn't have to think about what Hermione just said.

"Maybe he just wants to court you for political reasons. I mean, if you two were together, then no one would oppose you, I don't think…" Her voice trailed off when she saw him staring at her, horrified.

"Are you even listening to yourself? Courting me? And I'm not sure which is more disturbing, him actually liking me or him wanting to c-court me for political reasons." Maybe a second glass of fire-whiskey was a good idea…

"You did like him when he was Thomas Deldir. Oh, dear. Deldir is Riddle, isn't it? I should have seen that. I mean, you really liked him. And it's not as though he's bad looking. In fact, he's rather handsome."

The words, "I know," were on the tip of his tongue, but instead he protested, "Are we talking about the same person? He killed my parents! He's the reason that Sirius is dead. How many people have died because of him?"

Hermione turned her face away. "I know… I haven't forgotten that, either, Harry. I'm just… trying to look towards the future. He was evil. Maybe he still is, but I think he's changed, too. I don't know what did it, but something happened." She locked eyes with him. "This isn't in the Daily Prophet yet, but I have a friend in the ministry. Voldemort's actually starting to encourage people to marry muggles, so that wizards don't fade away. He's not preaching about blood-purity anymore."

Harry just stared at her and felt his mind being blown. Blindly, he reached for the fire-whiskey. A second glass was now necessary.

Hermione continued. "And he's actually making it a requirement for magical creature's to be treated well. He's working on something to allow near-human creatures to be granted wands and to attend school."

Harry glanced at his glass and then at the bottle. Maybe he should just take the bottle, or maybe he was drunk already, because what Hermione was saying sounded impossible. Or wonderful? Or perhaps just mind-boggling. Or maybe he could just hope that this whole experience was all some hallucination. Except that these sorts of things just sort of happened to him.

"Hermione, are you actually saying that I should consider this, whatever it is, if he's really flirting with me, which he's not?"

She nodded, and said simply, "Yes."

"Why aren't you more bothered by this?"

"Harry," she said in a soft voice. "I've been hanging around you so long that most things don't really shock me anymore. And Voldemort liking you doesn't shock me. I always thought he was a little too obsessed with you."

That settled it. Everyone around him was crazy and he was the only sane one. That was the only reasonable explanation. "Hermione," he said finally, "I'm going to pretend that you never said that, okay?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but then saw the expression on his face, which was somewhere between "I am seriously considering obliviating myself" and "Please stop if you don't want me to wind up in St. Mungo's".

Wisely, she held her tongue.

"Fine. I won't say anything else on that subject. But… This is Voldemort we're talking about, you're not just going to be able to ignore him, and if I'm right…"

"Hermione…"

"Okay, okay! I am curious how he got so close to you for so long without your scar hurting, though. I'll have to check some books about that."

Classic Hermione. When in doubt, go to the library. Although, he was curious about that little fact, too.

Suddenly, the brown-haired witch popped up out of her chair and gave him a fierce hug, wrapping her arms around him. "It'll be okay, Harry."

He leaned gratefully into her warmth. "Hermione, when has anything that's happened to me been 'okay'?" he asked wearily.

She didn't answer, but hugged him even more firmly. When Hermione Granger didn't answer a question, he knew something was wrong. And he still couldn't believe that she wasn't shrieking at the idea of Voldemort coming after him with romantic intentions. He'd probably won her over with his treatment of magical creatures. Bloody SPEW… Not that Voldemort actually did like him. He was quite happy to deny that as long as he could. He just needed to avoid Voldemort. He groaned. He didn't need to be a much better seer than Trelawney to know that that wasn't going to happen.

He sighed. Bugger.

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><p>Umm... Hi. College is evil and taking over my soul and life. I think physics was created by sadists and I'm not masochistic enough to enjoy it. This sums up my life. I also realize that you all probably want to kill me by now. I totally sympathize with that. I actually think <em>Avada Kedavra<em> is quite humane. Sort of. So, no _Crucio's_, please? Okay... moving on. I love this chapter of the story and hope you do, too. It's actually one of the only ones (maybe the only one?) from Harry's point of view. So, yeah. Happy holidays, everyone.

Ja ne,

_Rumer Hasit_


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